A rich devotional ambience prevailed at several temples and Sri Rama Navami pandals at various places in the city as the festival was celebrated on a grand scale on Sunday. The festive mood began in the early hours of the day with the playing of devotional songs at the pandals.
The temples and streets alike echoed with songs like ‘Sri Sita Ramula Kalyanam Chuddamu Rarandi’, ‘Kalyana Vaibogame, Sri Sita Ramula Kalyana Vaibogame’ and the film songs of ‘Lava Kusa’ and other movies. Several Rama and Anjaneya Swamy temples in the city reverberated with the chants of Jai Sri Rama, Kodanda Rama, and Janaki Rama.
The streets wore a festive look with the local residents performing the ‘kalyanotsavam’, celestial wedding of the wedding of Lord Sri Rama and Sita. Devotees gathered in good numbers to witness the celestial wedding, which was organised with much pomp and religious fervour.
The idols were taken out in processions later through the main streets as it had been the tradition for generations. The deities of Lord Rama and his consort Sita were decorated with silk clothes and the ‘kalyanam’ was performed at exactly 12 noon, Abhijit Lagnam, amid ‘Veda mantras’ and ‘mela talam’, the traditional music.
The festivities were organised at Ramalayam at Satyanarayanapuram, Besant Road, and One Town, Kodanda Rama temple at Patamata and Sri Abhaya Anjanaya Swamy temple on Ghat Road in Vijayawada. Hundreds of devotees witnessed the celestial wedding in pandals put up at places like Besant Road, RTC Colony, etc,. At Besant Road a 65 kg laddu was purchased by a devotee for ₹36,116.
Youngsters threw themselves wholeheartedly into preparing of the prasadam, including the traditional ‘vadapappu’ and ‘panakam’. The delicious ‘panakam', a drink mixed with jaggery and spices such as cardamom and black peppers, was served to passers-by at several places.