Nellore’s unique 'Roti Festival' begins: Tens of thousands gather for prayers, roti exchange tradition

TIRUPATI: Nellore: The Rottela Panduga, popularly known as the Roti Festival, began on a grand note on Friday, with tens of thousands of devotees from across the country gathering in Nellore to participate in the opening ceremonies of the unique annual festival.The celebrations began with the mujavars of the Bara Shaheed Dargah applying sandal paste, marking the commencement of the utsav. Following the rituals, the dargah premises witnessed a massive influx of devotees, with long queues forming throughout the day.The highlight of the festival is the ‘Gandha Mahotsavam’ (sandal paste utsavam), which will be held at the dargah on Saturday night.A large number of Muslim devotees thronged the Bara Shaheed Dargah to offer special prayers and participate in the traditional exchange of rotis at the Swarnala Cheruvu.

The practice is believed by devotees to help fulfil their wishes and desires.The five-day annual festival, which began on Friday, will conclude on Tuesday. The Nellore district administration expects lakhs of devotees to participate in this year’s Rottela Panduga.State Municipal Administration Minister Dr Ponguru Narayana, along with TDP state spokesperson Kotamreddy Giridhar Reddy, interacted with devotees and took part in the traditional roti exchange at Swarnala Cheruvu on Friday.

Nellore District Collector Himanshu Shukla and Superintendent of Police Ajitha Vejendla are closely monitoring the elaborate arrangements put in place for the smooth conduct of the festival.Around 1,700 police personnel have been deployed to maintain security and prevent any untoward incidents, while nearly 6,000 sanitation workers have been assigned to ensure cleanliness across the festival premises, which have been divided into multiple zones for better management.