Rayalaseema celebrates Dasara with fervour at Grama Devata shrines

The deity of Boyakonda Gangamma Thalli atop Boyakonda hill near Punganur in Annamayya district. | Photo Credit: ARRANGEMENT Dasara in Rayalaseema is not about Mysore-style elephants but about Grama Devata jatara celebrations. This year, Chittoor, Annamayya and Sri Sathya Sai districts are witnessing a surge of Shakti worship.The centrepiece of Dasara celebrations is Boyakonda Gangamma Thalli temple in Chowdepalle mandal of Punganur Assembly constituency, straddling the Chittoor-Annamayya district boundary, a few kilometres from the Karnataka border.Considered the biggest Dasara event in the erstwhile combined Chittoor district, the temple celebrates the festival with the self-manifested deity adorned in nine different forms over nine days, including Bala, Gayatri, Annapurna, Saraswati and Mahishasuramardini. On Moola Nakshatra, about three lakh devotees offer bonams and sacrifice livestock.Devotees from families across the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu borders believe that Boyakonda Gangamma is the sibling of Goddess Kolaramma in Kolar and Pallikonda Gangamma in Vellore. Traditional celebrations include Pothuraju dances and fire-walking rituals.At the Sri Varasiddhi Vinayaka Temple in Kanipakam, Dasara is celebrated as Parvati Utsavams, with Durga alankaram to Siddhi and Buddhi and special Laksha Kumkumarchana.In Rayachoti of Annamayya district, the Sri Chowdeswari Devi temple atop a hill is the centre of a nine-day jatara. A procession featuring a buffalo decorated for the occasion is a major attraction. Nearby, the Sri Parasurameswara and Kodandarama temples on the Cheyyeru river host the rare dual worship of Shiva and Rama during the Dasara Theppotsavam.In Sri Sathya Sai district, Dasara celebrations at Prasanthi Nilayam in Puttaparthi include the Veda Purusha Saptaha Gnana Yajna, featuring seven days of Vedic chanting, Grama Seva and Poornahuti on Vijayadasami.At the Sri Veerabhadra temple in Lepakshi, the Durga shrine and Bhadrakali deity are the focus of worship. In Kadiri, the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple celebrates Dasara with the Simha Rathotsavam on Maha Navami, when the deity is adorned as Jwala Narasimha in Durga alankaram. Published - October 10, 2026 06:59 pm IST