Sankranti festive mood grips Chittoor, Annamayya districts

Festive fervour has gripped the rural areas across Chittoor and Annamayya districts, particularly the ones bordering Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, with Sankranti festival around the corner. With ‘Bhogi’ set to be celebrated on January 14, followed by Sankranti and ‘Kanuma’, villages are caught in the grip of festive buzz rooted in agrarian culture.

Villages and mandal headquarters are preparing for traditional festivities that highlight the region’s profound cultural heritage. A major highlight of the season is the popular ‘Giri Pradakshina’ (circumambulation of hills), which will be celebrated at locations like Nagari, Puttur, Kuppam, Punganur, Palamaner, Boyakonda and Mallappa Konda in the twin districts. Thousands of devotees annually take part in the circumambulation of sacred hillocks, offering worship for prosperity and good harvests.

In Chittoor and surrounding villages, devout families will gather in large numbers at Shiva temples along the banks of Neevari river to perform ancestral rites and charity works, marking Sankranti. Several households are being whitewashed and decorated as part of the upcoming festivities.

The famous ‘Goat Festival’ at Bodikonda hillock near Chittoor continues to draw devotees who offer prayers at the mount, symbolising the feet of Lord Venkateswara. Similarly, several families from Chittoor will travel to the Vellimalai hillock near Sholingur in Tamil Nadu to participate in Giri Pradakshina.

Traditional bull races, regionally known as Pasuvula Panduga (cattle festival), especially in Kuppam region, remains a crowd puller. The rural sport often takes on violent proportions on the lines of Tamil Nadu’s ‘Jallikattu’, resulting in both human and bull casualties. However, the police authorities have stepped up vigil to curb illegal activities such as cockfighting and gambling, ensuring peaceful celebrations.