Hyderabad: As many as thousands of devotees arrived at Medaram on Friday to fulfil their vows in advance of the main festival.
Devotees began their rituals with a holy dip in the Jampanna Vagu, followed by offering their hair at the Kalyana Katta. Devotees carrying jaggery—regarded as equivalent to gold in the tribal tradition—on their heads at temple complex.
Key locations, including major junctions, goddess altars, Jampanna Vagu bathing ghats, the Kalyana Katta tonsuring centre, the RTC bus stand, parking areas and nearby forest camping sites, were abuzz with activity, mirroring the atmosphere of the peak festival days.
Officials estimated that more than three lakh devotees reached Medaram and surrounding areas in private and RTC buses, leading to long queues of vehicles on approach roads.