Thousands of devotees from across the country on Wednesday participated in the celestial wedding of Lord Rama with his consort Sita held in this temple town amid spiritual exuberance.
The rituals associated with the celestial wedding were performed by priests from 12.18 p.m. at Mithila stadium (Kalyanamandapam) in this historic town in Telangana's Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, to mark Srirama Navami.
Braving heat, devotees from across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and other states thronged the venue and offered 'mutyala talambralu' (mixture of pearls and rice mixed with turmeric and saffron).
Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari and Endowments Minister Indra Karan Reddy offered mutyala talambralu and pattuvastralu on behalf of the state government, in line with the long tradition.
Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and other politicians and their family members attended the celestial wedding.
Bhadrachalam, the abode of Lord Rama on the banks of Godavari river, was decked up for the annual event.
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The venue of the celestial wedding and adjoining Sri Sitarama Swamy temple were illuminated as devotees flocked the town since Tuesday.
The temple authorities made large-scale arrangements for the devotees.
Tickets with a price range from Rs 100 to Rs 5,000 were sold for the event.
Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) was operating more than 500 buses from all parts of the state and Andhra Pradesh for the devotees.
South Central Railway also operated a special train between Secunderabad and Bhadrachalam to clear the extra rush of passengers.
--IANS
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