Vizianagaram dazzles in the colours of Sirimanotsavam

Observed on the first Tuesday after Dasara, the

Sirimanotsavam

is a celebration in honour of

Goddess Pyditalli

that dates back 261 years. And like every year, this time too the otherwise sleepy town of

Vizianagaram

burst to life with festive fervour during the three-day celebrations that ended on Wednesday. Bright, colourful, blinking lights shone against the night sky, swathing the pedda kota and the road leading to it from the Pyditalli Ammavaru temple in technicolour. Lakhs of excited locals who flew from across the country walked around with bright smiles on their faces, some indulging their children with a rooster shaped balloon; or some freshly made kova served in a palm leaf or even a pungi, adding to the cacophony. But it was the sight of performers dressed as Rama, Sita, kings, princesses and tigers that got the kids most excited. The sound of dappu filled the air, as men covered in tiger stripes with embellished headgear roared and danced to the music, much to the delight of onlookers. The men covered in gajjelu made their own music, doing the tappetagullu, a dance form where men perform wearing gajjelu all over their body and a drum on their chest.

A celebration to commemorate the legend of Pydimamba
The origins of the festival lie in a legend that dates back to 1757 when King Pasupati Vijayarama Gajapati Raju, of the Vizianagaram royal family, was killed in the battle of Bobbili. His heartbroken sister Pydimamba ended her life by jumping into the pedda cheruvu lake, vowing to protect the town at all costs. She proclaimed that her statue will be found on the west bank of the cheruvu. Her prophecy came true when fishermen found an idol as she had told, which was installed in the temple, which the locals believe has been protecting the town to this day. Every first Tuesday after Dasara has since then been celebrated as Sirimanotsavam to propitiate the goddess. last Tuesday was no different.

The 60-ft tall Sirimanu was the cynosure of all eyes Ladies dressed in their best silks and men in traditional garb made their way towards the lane from Three Lamps Junction to Fort Junction. House owners along the lane opened their terraces to strangers, though with a stern warning not to lean on the walls of their old houses. For those who didn’t arrive early enough to catch a prime spot by the side of the road where the procession would pass through, these terraces offered a good view.
Armed with cameras and phones, waiting to record the procession or even video call those who couldn’t make it back home this year, the people waited with anticipation for the Sirimanotsavam to begin. Soon, sounds of nadaswaram could be heard over the chatter of locals. “I heard this year’s sirimanu (lean stick) is 60-feet tall and made of a tree from Ramavaram village,” an excited onlooker shared.
Soon, the nadaswaram passed through, followed by paladhara (stick fighters) dressed in red, the tella enugu (a mock figurine of an elephant), Anjali Radham (consisting of five men dressed like married women) and a massive umbrella made with fishing nets. The crowd erupted in cheers and bananas flew, along with turmeric coated rice, as a man sitting atop a long pole passed by, dressed in regal attire, fanning himself. This is the chief priest of the temple, Bantupalli Byraginaidu, to whom the goddess is said to appear in a vision 15 days before the festival, telling him which tree must be used to fashion the sirimanu from for the year. The sirimanu moved between the fort and temple three times, with Aditi Gajapati Raju, daughter of Ashok Gajapati Raju, descendent of the royal family of Vizianagaram, watching the utsav from atop the fort.

Sirimanotsavam is a celebration of Vizianagaram’s culture: Locals
Among the many who travel great lengths to attend the festival is T Sudhir, a 33-year-old technical consultant, who has come all the way from Singapore to attend the festival. “This is the first time in a long while I’ve been able to come back in time for the festival. I was in Dubai and am now in Singapore, so I missed it the last few years. Whenever I think of home, I miss the sirimanu festivities because I grew up hearing stories of its legend,” he says, adding, “When I was a kid, my best friend and I once managed to get close enough to the sirimanu to touch it. It still remains one of my most exciting memories. Sirimanotsavam truly is a celebration of Vizianagaram’s history and culture.”

N Chandra Hasini, a 28-year-old accounting officer at an MNC from Visakhapatnam attends the festival every year, and makes sure her daughter also gets to enjoy it. “My daughter is too young to know what’s really happening but she understands that this festival is special to me. I was born in Vizianagaram and moved away after marriage. For me, the best part has always been the way the sirimanu is taken around,” she says. “I saw the sirimanu up close only twice in my lifetime because it’s always so crowded. I used to get very excited and throw bananas at the pujari when I was child, because we used to believe he was really possessed by the goddess. I would come early to find a good spot to watch from.”

The reason for the popularity of Sirimaotsavam among the people of Vizianagaram lies not just in the magic of the legend surrounding it, but also in the sense of community that comes through when thousands come together to celebrate a local legend. “I only had leave till Dasara but decided to extend it because I want my daughter to experience this too,” says D Swapna, a 37-year-old banker. A Vizagite who is now settled in Hyderabad, she comes down to the city every year for the festival. “My family lives right across the street from the temple, so I’ve always had a good view of the procession and many good memories of it growing up. Though my daughter is scared of the pulivesham right now, I hope when she’s old enough, she comes to appreciate the intricacies of the festival as much as I do, and make memories just as amazing as mine.”