Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and his wife Nara Bhuvaneswari at Sri Prasanna Tirupati Gangamma at the temple in Kuppam on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and his wife Nara Bhuvaneswari participated in the annual jatara at Sri Prasanna Tirupati Gangamma temple in Kuppam on Wednesday.

The couple landed at the grounds of Dravidian University on the Kuppam outskirts by helicopter from Bengaluru. Mr. Naidu was accorded a warm welcome by the officials, people of Kuppam Assembly constituency and the TDP cadres.

Mr. Naidu reached the Gangamma temple, where the temple priests welcomed him with a traditional Poornakumbham. He offered prayers and presented silk garments (pattu vastrams) to the presiding deity.

Mr. Naidu exchanged pleasantries with the TDP cadres before leaving for Bengaluru airport from the helipad. District Collector Sumit Kumar, SP Manikanta Chandolu, and senior TDP leaders were present.

The Kuppam Jatara is a major festival of Sri Prasanna Tirupati Gangamma, considered the sister of Lord Venkateswara. The history of the jatara dates back to the 17th century and the festival has been receiving the patronage of the rulers of Telugu, Kannada and Tamil dynasties, followed by the British Raj.

On Tuesday evening, a palanquin carrying the idol’s head was taken out in a grand procession from Pedda Bavi at Pathapeta to the main temple.

The procession will continue for over 24 hours, covering all wards in the Kuppam municipality. An estimated 3 lakh people from Kuppam, and neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka thronged the venue during the festival.

Till Wednesday noon, thousands of villagers offered prayers to the processional deity. The festival was concluded with the Viswaroopa Darshan of the Goddess on Wednesday.

Published – May 22, 2025 06:27 am IST