Hyderabad: Thousands of weddings were performed in the state on Sunday. Despite it being a holiday, high volumes of traffic were witnessed on the roads as well-wishers made their way to various wedding venues.
According to Divyagnana Siddhanti, there were no auspicious dates in the past few months because of a shukra mudam that lasted from November to February 19. “Many families have been waiting for an auspicious date. The Phalguna Bahula Tadiya (thithi) and Hasta (nakshatram), which fell on March 4, are very auspicious. Most weddings were held at either 9.58 am or 11.26 am,” he said.
Muhurats are usually finalised taking into consideration the date and time of birth, nakshatram and raasi (zodiac sign) of the bride and the groom.
However, March 4 was found to be ideally suited for people from all 12 zodiac signs. Apart from weddings, several other functions such as housewarmings, engagements, and cradle ceremonies were also held on that day.
Somashekara Sharma, senior purohit of the popular Sri Ganesh Temple in Secunderabad, said that the best muhurats available of the Hevalambi Nama Samvatsara fell on March 4, March 8 and March 10. He said that several marriages were scheduled to occur on Thursday and Saturday as well. “After these three dates, there are no auspicious dates until April,” he said.
Ashok Hemrajani, the vice-president of the Hotels and Restaurants Association of Telangana State, said that banquet halls at all hotels had been booked for March 4 at least three to four months in advance. “Families ideally want a banquet hall with a nice ambience and delicious food. Hence the rush to book venues well in advance,” he said.
Several families also opted for halls and mandaps at various temples in the twin cities.
Meanwhile, the traffic police implemented special measures in light of the number of weddings held on Sunday.
According to A.V. Ranganath, DCP (Traffic-2), the Hyderabad Police and the entire traffic police force, which consists of 2,500 officers, were on duty on Sunday.
On most Sundays, only a skeletal staff controls the traffic in the city.
“High volumes of traffic were witnessed on Sunday. Because of the weddings, there was VIP movement as well. We were well-prepared and so the day passed without any traffic congestion,” he said.
However, traffic was slow-moving near the CM’s Camp Office at Pragathi Bhavan in the afternoon. Thousands of people turned up to greet the Chief Minister after he announced his decision to explore national politics. Police officials said that normalcy was quickly restored on that route as well.
