N. Chandrababu Naidu
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu will present a silk ‘vastram’ on behalf of the State Government to Srikalahastheeswara Swamy temple in Srikalahasti town of Tirupati district on February 25, 2025 marking the annual Brahmotsavam.
Interestingly, Mr. Naidu will be the first Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh to personally carry the State honours on his head and walk in a ceremonial procession to the Shiva temple to present the clothing, which will be adorned to the deity on the auspicious occasion. The tradition used to be performed either by a senior official of the Endowments Department or a Cabinet Minister in the past.
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The annual festival will be held from February 21 to March 6, 2025, which coincides with the ‘Maha Sivaratri’ event falling on February 26. After the ‘Lingodbhavam’ observed in the early hours of February 27, local residents of Srikalahasti constituency will be allowed free darshan into the temple, a decision recently announced by the Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, heeding to the request from the local legislator Bojjala Venkata Sudheer Reddy.
Confirming Mr. Naidu’s visit, Mr. Sudheer Reddy has also announced to extend invitation for the first time to the Chief Ministers of neighbouring States such as A. Revanth Reddy (Telangana), M.K. Stalin (Tamil Nadu), Siddaramaiah (Karnataka) and Devendra Fadnavis (Maharashtra) for the annual event.
“We are also trying for an appointment to personally meet the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to extend an invitation to visit the event. We may most probably visit New Delhi on February 11”, Mr. Sudheer Reddy told The Hindu.
The temple town of Srikalahasti is getting a facelift for the event, as floral decoration and electrical illumination are taken up by expert craftsmen drawn from New Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad. Arrangements are made to install decorative arches and aesthetic infrastructure on a permanent footing, instead of inviting tenders every year for the purpose, thus cutting down on expenditure.
“Plans are also afoot to develop the Swarnamukhi riverfront with ghats, where special religious and eye-catching events on the lines of Varanasi’s ‘Ganga Aarti’ will be introduced,” Mr. Reddy said.
Published – February 07, 2025 03:28 pm IST