Prabhala Theertham: Making Sankranti Special For The Telugus

Jan 11, 2020, 11:31 IST

By B. Priyadarshini

Sankranti, the first harvest festival in the Gregorian calendar and it is celebrated with much joy and merriment in various parts of the Indian sub-continent. The festival is observed according to solar cycles. Sankranti is celebrated for two days in some parts of the country whereas in the two Telugu states, the festival is observed for three days - Bhogi, Sankranti and Kanuma.

Each day has its own prominence and needless to say, everyone enjoys and plans big for three special days. Each community and each place has its own traditions. A few places in the Telugu states celebrate the festival in a much intriguing manner. One could witness colourful rangolis, bommala koluvu, cattle decked up in vibrant colours and ornaments and lastly the super delicious food to gorge on.

Bored of celebrating the festival in your home town? Want to head to a place where the festival is observed in a different manner? No worries! Today, we would like to take you down a very special place which will definitely captivate you. The Konaseema of Andhra Pradesh is one of the most fantabulous places where one could get a chance to witness the cascading Godavari waters, green patches, numerous religious shrines and on the other hand, the delicacies of the state, truly “So Yummy.”

Besides this, on the day of Kanuma, a special utsav takes place in some parts of Andhra Pradesh (250 villages in Amalapuram division) and needless to say about how extravagantly the festival is celebrated. ‘Prabhala Theertham’ is the special attraction of Konaseema.

Can you guess since how many years, the people of Amalapuram are following this tradition? Fret not! We are here to tell you about it. This is a 400-year old tradition and the practice of making Prabhalu is said to be from the period of Pithapuram Rajas. The main aim behind celebrating this festival is to bring unity among the people and to have prosperity.

People decorate the bamboo arches with Lord Siva's images and some people decorate with Durga Devi images on them in a very incredible way. One more interesting thing to know about this Prabhala Theertham is the height of the Prabhalu - It varies and people prepare as long as 50 to 55 feet high Prabhalu. The festival is popularly observed in areas like Jagganna Thota, Mukkamal, Pulletikurru, Gunnepalli Agraharam, Ambajipets, Gangalakurthi, etc. A huge procession of Prabhalu will take place and scores of people pay a visit to witness the grandeur of Prabhulu.