Festivals

Guru Purnima, also called Vyasa Purnima, honours Sage Veda Vyasa and every guru who leads us from darkness to light. Devotees perform Vyasa puja, seek the blessings of their teachers and elders, and throng Sai Baba temples, while sannyasis begin their Chaturmasya vow on this full moon.

Varalakshmi Vratam is the sacred Shravana Friday vratam in which women worship Goddess Lakshmi as Varalakshmi, the giver of boons, with a decorated kalasham, the nine-thread thoram and the Varalakshmi Vratha Katha, praying for the well-being of their families.

Shravana Pournami brings three celebrations together: sisters tie the rakhi on their brothers' wrists, those who wear the sacred thread change it in the Upakarma ritual – hence Jandhyala Purnima – and devotees worship Lord Hayagriva, the protector of the Vedas, on his Jayanti.

Sri Krishna Janmashtami, or Gokulashtami, celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna. Telugu homes draw little footprints at the door, dress their children as Krishna, offer butter and atukulu, and villages and streets come alive with the Utti festival.

Vinayaka Chavithi celebrates Lord Ganesha on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi. Telugu homes worship a clay Ganesha with 21 kinds of leaves, read the Vinayaka Vratha Katha and offer undrallu, while Hyderabad's Khairatabad Ganesh draws lakhs.

Pitru Paksha – the fortnight of the ancestors – is the time when families remember and honour those who have gone before them with tarpanam, pinda pradanam and charity. It ends on Mahalaya Amavasya, the new moon dedicated to all ancestors, the day before Devi Navaratri begins.

The Komuravelli Mallanna Jatara is the long festive season of Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy – Mallanna – at Komuravelli in Siddipet district. After his kalyanam with Golla Kethamma and Medalamma in December, devotees throng the hill every Sunday from Sankranti to Ugadi, while Oggu pujaris draw the sacred patnam and sing the Lord's story.

The Nagoba Jatara at Keslapur in Adilabad is the sacred festival of the Mesram clan of the Gond and Pardhan communities, honouring Nagoba, the divine serpent and their supreme deity. It begins with a midnight Mahapuja using holy Godavari water brought on foot by the elders, and includes the Bheting ceremony that welcomes new brides into the clan.

The Peddagattu (Gollagattu) Jatara at Durajpally near Suryapet is the great biennial festival of Sri Lingamanthula Swamy and his sister Choudamma, the family deities of the Golla (Yadava) community. For about five days, lakhs of devotees of every background gather on the hillock with drums, bonams and vows – the second-largest jatara in Telangana after Medaram.

The Gangamma Jatara is the great folk festival of Tirupati's village goddess, Sri Tatayyagunta Gangamma. For about a week the town celebrates with colourful veshams – devotees take on a different disguise each day, remembering how the Goddess outwitted a tyrant – ending with the Viswaroopa darshan of the Goddess.