Utsav Samithi Invites Devotees to Kalyanam and Shobha Yatra

Hyderabad: The Bhagyanagar Sri Rama Navami Utsav Samithi on Monday said Seetharama Kalyanam will be performed from 9.30 am to 1 pm on April 17, followed by Shobha Yatra at 1 pm.

Utsav Samithi president Dr Bhagwant Rao requested devotees to take part in the kalyanam as well as Shobha Yatra in large numbers. He also appealed to NGOs to come forward and arrange drinking water, food and first aid stalls.

Every year, the Utsav Samithi takes out Shoba Yatra — a procession of Lord Rama — from Sitarambagh Temple at Mangalghat to Andhra Bank at Koti. The procession is attended by around one lakh devotees.

This year, after the consecration of the Ram Lalla idol at the Ayodhya temple, and the impending Lok Sabha elections, several politicians and individual groups have organised their own celebrations and processions. Saffron flags featuring the Ayodhya temple and Lord Rama are being distributed in large numbers and are seen at many residential complexes, shops and along the streets.

Hyderabad police commissioner K. Sreenivasa Reddy, had last week said no political symbols or speeches would be permitted during the Shobha Yatra in view of the model code of conduct.

He had also said there was a bar on the use of DJ systems, bursting of crackers, throwing vermillion or gulal on passers-by, carrying weapons, hate speeches and provocative banners and slogans. Police permission is required for using drone cameras.