Telangana: Shiva Kalyanam held on grand scale at Rajarajeshwara Swamy Temple, Vemulawada

Temple EO acted as elder brother of Lord Shiva and the priest did the same on behalf of Goddess Parvati and offered Rs 551 crore as dowry

Rajanna-Sircilla: The celestial wedding of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati was held on a grand scale in the Sri Rajarajeshwara Swamy Temple, Vemulawada on Monday.

The bridegroom (Lord Shiva) welcomed the bride (Goddess Parvati) at a specially arranged pandal in front of the temple EO’s office. While temple EO Vinod Reddy acted as an elder on behalf of Lord Shiva, the temple priest did the same on behalf of Goddess Parvati and offered Rs 551 crore as dowry.

The wedding ceremony was held from 10.55 am to 12.05 pm under the aegis of temple main priest Namilakonda Umesh Sharma.

On the other hand, considering themselves as brides of Lord Shiva, the devotees attired themselves by wearing new clothes and jewellery, applying turmeric on their faces and vermilion on their foreheads. Besides ‘jhola’ (sling bag) containing ‘thalambralu’ (rice mixed with turmeric), Trishul (tridents), which were also decorated with bright flowers and a bell, were also carried by them.

During the marriage rituals, the devotees carrying tridents tied with bells shook them to make a rhythmic sound as the wedding was performed amid chanting of Vedic hymns.

When the marriage ritual of Lord Shiva and Parvati was declared completed by the temple priests, they sprinkled the ‘thalambralu’ on each other declaring their marriage with Lord Shiva. Meanwhile, Hijras tied yellow threads carrying ‘rudraksha’ around their necks after applying ‘zilakara bellam’ (jaggery and jeera paste) on their heads.

A huge number of devotees from different parts of the State as well as adjacent states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh thronged the temple town to watch the Shiva Kalyanam.