With drones hovering, the five-day ‘Rottela Panduga’ began in the sprawling premises of Bara Shahid Dargah on the banks of the Nellore Swarnala Cheruvu at Dargamitta here on Wednesday.
Devotees with numerous wishes made a beeline to the dargah for the Rotiyaan-ki-Eid, and exchanged rotis in fulfilment of their wishes during their earlier visit at the tombs of the 12 martyred warriors, coinciding with Muharram as Urs of the martyrs, whose mortal remains are buried in the compound.
“Development Roti”
Determined to put the State on the path of progress overcoming the bifurcation blues, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who will take part in the festival on Thursday, will exchange “Development Roti”.
Over 1,800 police personnel from south coastal range provided security aided by 36 closed circuit television sets for electronic surveillance of the sprawling dargah and the newly developed ghat along with the drones.
Nellore Mayor Sk. Abdul Azeez, District Collector R. Mutyala Raju, Superintendent of Police Vishal Gunni and Municipal Commissioner K. Venkateswarlu supervised the conduct of the festival which drew devotees from different parts of the country, including Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and abroad.
What started as a festival to remember the 12 warriors who paid with their lives in fighting the British troops in the 18th Century, has now assumed a secular tone with people cutting across religious lines thronging the dargah with a long wish list.
As a thanksgiving, a satisfied devotee gives a roti to another devotee, who makes his own wish at the dargah, and the chain continues in geometric proportion with more and more pilgrims visiting the dargah during the festival.
Roti-making outlets which have sprung up all along the route made a brisk business as also vendors selling household articles on the pavements leading to the dargah.
