Yadagirigutta: The Telugu New Year, Sri Viswavasu Nama Ugadi, was celebrated with devotion and joy at the famous Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple on Sunday. Many devotees, priests, and officials came together to take part in the traditional rituals and festivities.
The celebrations began with the making of Ugadi Pachadi, a special dish that includes six different tastes — sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, salty, and tangy. These flavors represent the different emotions and experiences of life. A special puja (prayer) was performed, and the dish was offered to Lord Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy and the goddess.
Later in the evening, the temple held a Sevotsavam, a ceremonial procession. The deities were beautifully decorated and taken around the temple in a grand event. Devotees lined up along the streets to get a glimpse of the divine procession, which was accompanied by traditional music and chanting. Special prayers were also held at the Eastern Rajagopuram, where the deities were placed.
After the procession, the traditional Panchanga Sravanam (almanac reading) was performed by the temple’s astrologer, Gauribhatla Satyanarayana Sharma. He shared predictions for the upcoming year based on astrology.
According to the predictions, Lord Narasimha Swamy, linked to the zodiac sign Tula Rashi (Libra), is expected to have 11 units of income and 5 units of spending. Goddess Lakshmi, linked to Simha Rashi (Leo), is predicted to have equal income and expenditure — 11 units each.
The temple’s chief priest, Nallanthigal Lakshmi Narasimhacharyulu, explained the importance of Ugadi and gave his blessings to all devotees. He hoped that the new year would bring happiness, wealth, and peace to everyone.
He also predicted that this year would bring a very hot summer, followed by heavy rainfall, which would be good for farming. Farmers are likely to have better harvests than expected. He also said that temples and tourist places might see more visitors and growth.
Several important guests attended the celebrations, including District Collector Hanumantha Rao, Temple Executive Officer Bhaskar Rao, and Hereditary Trustee B. Narasimha Murthy. Along with them, priests, scholars, temple staff, and thousands of devotees came together to celebrate this special occasion.
