Jagtial Collector Yasmeen Basha presents silk cloths to Dharmapuri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy

Jagtial Collector Shaik Yasmeen Basha performed pradakshinas around the temple amid Vedic hymns chanted by the temple priests

Jagtial: The Dharmapuri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy brahmotsavams, which started on Friday night, drew attention for a different reason on Saturday, with the Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb of Telangana being highlighted across social media.

It was District Collector Shaik Yasmeen Basha’s photograph that was shared widely, as she presented silk cloths and ‘talambralu’ to the presiding deity as part of the age-old tradition. Many pointed out that despite being a Muslim, the Collector carried the silk cloths and talambralu on her head wearing the traditional headgear and after applying vermilion on her forehead. She also performed pradakshinas around the temple amid Vedic hymns chanted by the temple priests.

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Yasmeen Basha later inaugurated the ‘annadanam’ programme at the temple as well.

On the other hand, elaborate arrangements were made for the brahmotsavams since a huge number of devotees thronged the shrine from different parts of the district and from Nizamabad, Nanded, Nagpur and Chandrapur of Maharashtra as well.

Authorities set up six large LED screens in different places of the town to enable devotees watch the brahmotsavams. In the evening, the celestial weddings of Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy and Sri Venkateshwara Swamy were performed on the ‘Sheshappa Vedika’ at the temple.