Glittering gift: The new diamond crown for the Thathayagunta Gangamma temple.

TIRUPATI: A diamond-studded golden crown is ready to adorn the deity of Thathayagunta Gangamma, the folk Goddess of Tirupati, who is revered as the younger sister of Lord Venkateswara.

With the annual ‘Ganga Jatara’ just round the corner, the temple management hastened up the process and got ready the Rs.71 lakh crown well ahead of the week-long festival. The crown, made at the TTD’s jewellery section, weighs 5.375 kilograms of gold with 580 diamonds.

Apart from the Rs. 12 lakh borne by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the cost of the diamond was met from voluntary contributions from the public.

The glittering crown was taken in a procession to the Venkateswara temple at Tirumala on Wednesday by the TTD chairman B. Karunakar Reddy, along with executive officer K.V. Ramanacharyspecial officer A.V. Dharma Reddy .

The crown will be consecrated and adorned for the first time to the presiding deity after the traditional ‘Abhishekam’

In all devotion: Draped in neem leaves, a woman devotee enters Thathayagunta Gangamma temple in Tirupati.

TIRUPATI: ‘Gangamma Jatara’, the folk festival of Tirupati came to a colourful end at the Thathayagunta Gangamma temple here on Tuesday midnight. The slaying of the clay idol of Gangamma in the early hours of Wednesday marks the culmination of the annual festival.

As is the practice, local people started pouring into the temple right from Monday night and spent the whole of Tuesday in the temple and its vicinity.

The interesting feature of the final day is the mode of travel to the temple. Though the most preferred way to the temple is on foot, irrespective of the distance from their residence to the temple, the devout take a more strenuous route by performing ‘Sashtaanga Namaskaram’ on the road throughout. They roll a coconut on the road and when it stops, start falling to the ground with stretched hands and legs offering prayers. The process continues till they reach the temple.

Common practice

Another practice in vogue among women is the draping of neem leaves and twigs from the shoulders to the anklets, which serves as a dress. Women, irrespective of age, don the dress and offer prayers at the temple as a fulfilment of vows.

Many Muslim women too paid obeisance at the temple early in the morning, showing that Gangamma is revered irrespective of caste or religion.