Ganga Jatara festival begins in Tirupati

Tirupati: The Ganga Jatara folk festival began with much fanfare in the temple city of Tirupati on Tuesday.The folk goddess used to be worshipped in seven forms, namely Thallapaka Pedda Gangamma, Thathayagunta Chinna Gangamma, Muthyalamma, Nerellamma, Mathamma, Ankalamma and Veshalamma, with each of them having a dedicated temple, which are also considered to be the guardians of the ancient town.Priests tied the ‘Vadibalu' atop the pillar situated in front of the two temples on Tuesday, formally signalling the onset of the festival.The unique feature of this festival is the way the locals don various guises on each day while proceeding to the temple.Even today, native residents of Tirupati earnestly follow the practice of smearing limestone, charcoal and vermilion paste all over their bodies on the first three days and dress up as women on the final day.