🌳 Hey everyone! The Vanadevatha Utsav in Rekhapalli, PR Puram Mandal, Alluri Sitarama Raju district, was celebrated with great fervor and enthusiasm. The village came alive with the sounds of drums and musical instruments as devotees chanted and cheered. Thousands of devotees fulfilled their vows by worshiping the forest deities, who were ceremoniously brought to the sacred platform (gadde) and seated.
The highlight of the festival was the competition to walk on fire pits, believed to bring blessings from the deities. This 10-day festival is organized jointly by the Nayakpodu and Konda Reddy communities every two years, with the last three days seeing the largest influx of devotees. Last Sunday, deities Peddasaralamma and Chinnasaralamma were brought from Darapalli and Kotaru Gommuru villages to the sacred platform.
Devotees then went into the forest to gather sacred items, which were paraded through the village and turned into fire pits after night prayers. On Tuesday morning, the deities were paraded through the village. Villagers and organizers welcomed the procession with water pots and performed traditional aarti before leading the deities to the fire pits. Priests Panduraju, Sutruthu Pothireddy, and Andela Achireddy led the way, followed by devotees and festival organizers. Local representatives and devotees from neighboring mandals also participated. The Rekhapalli Nayakpodu Association ensured all necessary arrangements for the visiting devotees.
