Tirupati: More than two lakh devotees from the various parts of Chittoor district, as well as the neighbouring states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, flocked to the famed Sri Prasanna Tirupati Gangamamba Jatara in Kuppam on Tuesday.
The influx of devotees began at midnight on Monday and it is expected to last till Wednesday evening. Thousands of devotees took part in the Jatara procession, which began early on Tuesday morning as per customs. The clay head of Goddess Shakti would be carried in a grand procession through the streets of Kuppam town on Tuesday and Wednesday for over 24 hours.
The procession carrying the deity’s head began about 7 am, followed by a mass sacrifice of hundreds of animals, with the roads painted red in blood. Outstation devotees set up tents on the outskirts of town and celebrated the festival by consuming meat and alcohol.
On Wednesday morning, the headless deity will be adorned with the clay head of Goddess Shakthi. The deity will only have a head on her torso once a year. The head would be submerged in the adjoining village tank around Wednesday midnight after the Viswaroopa darshan. For the bandobust, around 600 police officers have been deployed.
