Nalgonda continues age-old Rama Navami traditions
HYDERABAD: Unique local traditions continue to define Rama Navami celebrations across villages in the erstwhile Nalgonda and neighbouring districts, with communities preserving practices passed down for decades.
In Bandapalem village of Kethepally mandal in Nalgonda district, villagers bring the processional deities of Lord Sri Rama and Sita from a temple in Chandupatla village of Nakrekal mandal for the celestial wedding, as the local Sri Ramalayam houses only the presiding deity.
Notably, villagers take the idols in a procession a day before the festival, a tradition they have upheld for nearly 100 years. According to resident Ongoru Ramulu, they return the deities to the Chandupatla temple after the nine-day jatara.
Meanwhile, in Sitharamapuram village of Gundala mandal in Yadadri-Bhongir district, residents follow a distinct custom. Locals believe that artisans originally prepared the idol of Sita at the Sri Sita Ramachandraswamy temple in their village.
After the kalyanam, families organise community meals and invite relatives from nearby villages. Moreover, they serve non-vegetarian food, treating the occasion as a household celebration.
In contrast, in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, organisers conduct the celestial wedding at the Hazarat Khasim Nagul Meera Dargah on Sri Rama Navami, drawing participation from people across communities.
Significantly, the dargah committee has organised this ceremony for the past 11 years. They drew inspiration from the teachings of late Hazarat Khasim Dulha, who emphasised ideals associated with Lord Sri Rama. Additionally, a Palwancha resident, Sheik Yusuf, bears the expenses for the ceremony.
