‘Guru Purnima’, also known as ‘Vyasa Purnima’, was celebrated in the city on a grand scale at many temples, particularly in Sri Shirdi Saibaba temples on Sunday. Heavy rush was seen at shrines since dawn.
Guru Purnima is the birthday of Veda Vyasa, the author of Mahabharata. The full moon day in ‘Ashadha Masam’ is celebrated as Guru Purnima”, said the priests.
The temples were richly decorated on the occasion and the trusts organised ‘bhajans’ and spiritual discourses in several temples.
Devotees performed special ‘abhishekams’ at the temples located at Labbipet, Patamata, Mutyalampadu, Gollapudi and the one near Maris Stella College throughout the day.
The devotees thronged the temples for the ‘Akhanda Ksheerabhishekam’ to Saibaba idols. This was followed by ‘Panchamritabhishekams’ and special pujas and Alankarams.
Holy dip
A large number of devotees were seen at Durga Ghat taking a holy dip and offering prayers. The canal road was closed from Vinayaka temple to Prakasam Barrage in view of the heavy rush of devotees at Indrakeeladri and Durga Ghat.
Traffic snarls were witnessed at ‘Sitammavari Paadalu’ and Prakasam Barrage as the police diverted the traffic from Vinayaka temple.
With prayers on their lips, devotees, including a large number of women, visited temples to seek the blessings of their gurus with reverence in keeping with the tradition to honour sage Vyasa, the compiler of the four Vedas.
Poor feeding and distribution of fruits marked the occasion.
Tulabharam performed
Special Correspondent from Kurnool adds:
Guru Purnima was celebrated with religious fervour in Sri Shirdi Saibaba temples in Kurnool district and devotees participated in large number and offered pooja.
Abhishekam was performed with milk to Shirdi Saibaba idols in Sri Varasiddhi Vinayaka temple at Vinayak ghat, Sri Nagasaibaba temple in B Camp and Sri Shirdi Saibaba temples in Housing Board Colony and near the old bus stand in Kurnool town. Mass Satyanaraya vratham was performed in Sri Naga Saibaba temples in B Camp and at Atmakur.
Temple committee members and devotees performed ‘tulabharam’ with Rs. 5 coins, kagada harathi and abhishekam in Sri Saibaba temple at Bethamcherla.
Palabhishekam was performed in Sri Saibaba tempes at Adoni and Weavers’ Colony at Yemmiganur. Special puja was performed and Sri Shirdi Saiababa idol was taken in a procession on Urukunda road in Kosigi.
Bhajans and annadanam were organised in all the Shirdi Saibaba temples in Kurnool district.
Guru purnima celebrated with fervour
Learning initiative
Special Correspondent from Ongole adds:
Devotees, including a large number of women, waited in long queues to have darshan of spiritual gurus including Adi Guru the south-facing Dakshinamoorthy and Guru Raghavendra.
Tiny-tots were initiated into learning of vedic literature with reverence in keeping with the tradition of perpetuating the memory of the seer Vyasa, the compiler of the four Vedas.
Devotees stood in serpentine queues in front of the temples of Sai Baba at Santhapet, Pelluru, Aluru and N.G.Padu on the full moon day of the holy month of Ashadham for Pada Darshan of the spiritual guru on the occasion.
A heavy rush of devotees was also witnessed at the Pelluru Sai Baba temple which has a life-size idol of Sai Baba chiselled from marble procured from Italy by Rajiv Harish Talim, the grandson of Balaji Wasanth Talim who had carved the idol installed in Shirdi.