Vizianagaram: Seeking the blessings of Sri Pydithalli Ammavaru, the presiding deity of Vizianagaram town, about 2.2 lakh devotees reached to the Fort Junction of Vizianagaram on Tuesday. Sirimanotsavam procession, the annual festival which has the legacy of 261 years went off smoothly as the Chief priest Bantupalli Byraginaidu blessed devotees from the Sirimanu, a long wooden stick which rises to a height of 60 feet. The procession started at around 3.45 pm at Chaduru Gudi of Pydithalli and moved slowly from the Three Lamp centre towards the fort. The Pydithallamma temple turned all rushed with devotees from Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam districts and Odisha. Celebrities and politicians like Ministers Botsa Satyanarayana, Velampalli Srinivas and Pamula Sri Pushpa Vani queued up at the temple to offer special prayers to the goddess. Vizianagaram Collector M. Hari Jawaharlal and Superintendent of Police B. Rajakumari stated that all necessary traffic and security arrangements were made with the help of over 2,000 police personnel.
