: As part of the five-day 'Sahasra Maha Chandi Yagam' being performed by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for people's welfare, rituals and prayers were conducted here on the penultimate day Thursday.

Rao, along with his wife, ruthviks (persons who perform Vedic procedures such as homa) and Vedic pundits offered prayers during the ceremony, an official press release said.

The yagam was being held to seek the blessings of the Goddess Chandi (Durga) for the people in the state, sources from the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) said.

''Wherever this (yagam) is performed, there will not be any distress, untimely deaths and farmers will be blessed with abundant crops. As many as 250 priests were taking part in the rituals,'' the sources said.

Before the assembly elections last December, Rao had performed a 'Raja Syamala Yagam' under the guidance of the seer of Visakha Sarada Peetham and the yagam helped TRS return to power in the state by winning 88 seats in the 119-member House.

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