Pilgrims walk miles for Ugadi festival

KURNOOL: With Ugadi considered the time of the year to redeem vows of devotees, thousands of pilgrims from Karnataka and Maharashtra have been descending on Srisiailam. Ugadi Mahotsavams will start in Kurnool district from March 26 and ends on March 30. The festival starts with Yagasala pravesam pooja, Ganapati pooja and Siva  sankalpam and ends with Poornahuti.

Elaborate arrangements have been made and facilities for devotees who will come from various places have been provided, said the temple executive officer N. Barat Gupta. Devotees traditionally denoted as Mainarulu and Ghanacharulu will offer mangalasutras and silk clothes to the Goddess Brahmarambika Devi on the first morning of the festival. The offerings include tamarind, kumkum, sarees, mangalasutram and flowers.

Trudging barefoot hundreds of miles in the heat to pay obeisance to Lord Shiva at Srisailam has been a ritual for pilgrims during the festival. “It is redemption for life. We have vowed to redeem our pledges to Lord Shiva for all that he has done for us even during our difficulties”, said Somasekhar, a devotee from Bellary. Some on stilts, while others decked with Vibhooti smeared on their foreheads broadly keep on walking.

The belief that Lord Shiva is the giver of everything to people drives them. A mix of people from Karnataka and Maharashtra could be seen around Ugadi festival in Srisailam. Most of the people from Karnataka and parts of Maharashtra visit the temple on the occasion of utsavams to present their yearly offerings to Goddess Brahmarambika Devi. They carry Nandi Kavallu (called Kambi in Kannada) on their shoulders which consist of Nandi images and offer pooja to it every day during their travel.

Pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh consider Sivaratri as the major festival while Karnataka pilgrims celebrate Ugadi (New Year) at Srisailam, the abode of Mallikarjuna Swamy (whom they consider as their son-in-law) and Brahmarambika Devi (daughter). Pilgrims in groups of 50 to 100 move in a caravan while the luggage is loaded into a truck that accompanies the caravan. The journey is smooth till they reach the core forest at Atmakur. After which their travails start.

The forest officials do not allow trucks into the core forest. In fact, the hardest and strenuous part of the journey starts after the pilgrims branch into the forest bypassing the Atmakur-Srisailam Road. For pilgrims travelling on foot, the distance is only 30 km, while vehicles are required to travel 100 km. Two to three popular routes from Venkatapuram and Rollapenta pass through the dense Nallamala forest, which has been in use for generations. Pilgrims are required to trek around 30 km through the forest to reach the other end of Srisailam Sikharam.

Pilgrims seek official permission for their accompanying vehicles up to 15 km transit point at Peddacheruvu where they could set up camp, cook food, take rest and resume journey. For years, the Peddacheruvu has been serving as pilgrim transit point. Dozens of philanthropists move to the place with loads of rice, vegetables, water cans and medicines to be distributed freely among pilgrims. However, the forest officials do not give formal permission to pilgrims and philanthropists to move the provisions into the forest.

A devotee, Byra Gowda from Chikmagalur, said that their desires would be fulfilled with the offerings to Bhramarambhika Devi and Mallikarjuna Swamy. "We need to walk a distance of 800 km in 15 days to reach the shrine at Srisailam", he stated. Another devotee, Kudlige Manjunath, said it is 'a tradition to give offerings to our daughter'.