Devotees dressed as Lord Shiva and his son Vinayaka arrive at Thathayagunta Gangamma temple in Tirupati on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: K.V. POORNACHANDRA KUMAR
The annual folk festival ‘Gangamma Jatara’ in Tirupati witnessed a sea of humanity on Tuesday (May 12, 2026), the final day of the nine-day event.
The highlight of the day was “Perantalu Vesham”, where men dressed up as women visited the temple to offer prayers. It is an ancient practice for male devotees to visit the temple dressed as women, which is seen as a form of paying obeisance to womanhood.
Another ancient practice is the carrying of “Chapparalu,” a colourful bamboo-based structure resembling a chariot, which is bound to the shoulder and supported firmly on the head.
People carrying the “Chapparalu” danced to the rhythmic beats of the folk percussion instruments in a procession to the temple.
The idol of goddess Gangamma in the sanctum sanctorum was decorated with rare jewels on the special occasion. The smashing of the clay idol installed at the temple entrance in the early hours of Wednesday (May 13) will mark the end to the nine-day folk festival.
Published – May 12, 2026 07:09 pm IST
