Ushering in the spirit of Ugadi, women, in their choicest attire, tastefully decorated their homes, particularly puja rooms, designing various patterns of rangoli and adorning them with strings of mango leaves and flowers.
With the festival falling on Sunday, working women heaved a sigh of relief and were seen busy from morning preparing some lip-smacking lunch-time treats. Besides the customised version of Ugadi pachadi, epitomising diverse flavours of life (shadruchulu), that topped the menu, a majority of items included traditional stuff such as garelu, boorelu, pulihora and a range of other traditional delicacies.
Prepared with tamarind pulp, grated jaggery, raw mango pieces, sliced bananas, neem flowers and chopped chillies, the Ugadi pachadi found its place in most Telugu households on the day.
Prayers at temples
Devotees in large numbers thronged temples in various neighbourhoods to offer prayers on Telugu New Year.
At Nitai Gauranga temple, Hare Krishna Movement and Akshaya Patra Foundation hosted Ugadi sambaralu.
Sadan Mandir of Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vihar School reverberated with Veda Pathanam, chanting of ashtotram and rendition of soulful bhajans.
As a part of the festivities, honorary secretary of Bala Vikas Foundation Narava Prakasa Rao explained the importance of Ugadi celebrations at BVF Bridge School on Beach Road in the city.
