Old photo frames of deities disposed off in traditional manner

The ‘Mana Ooru, Mana Gudi, Mana Bhadyatha’ (Our Village, Our Temple, Our Responsibility) organisation on Sunday (December 07, 2025) disposed of old and abandoned photo frames of deities in Nandyal town. The initiative ensured that the water body in which the photos were immersed did not get polluted.

The organisation has been working towards protection of temples and their water bodies (temple ponds) across the State and in other parts of the country. Organisation founder and INTACH Nandyal Chapter convenor M.V. Sivakumar Reddy said that people dispose of old and damaged photo frames of the deities near the trees in their local temples or nearby areas unaware of the manner in which they have to be disposed.

The Organisation volunteers collected nearly 300 such old photo frames from various places in the town for respectful and traditional disposal. Mr. Reddy said that the deities have to be immersed in a water body after rituals.

“The photo frames cannot be immersed directly with the glass sheet and wooden frames as they can pollute the water body. We have given training to our volunteers to separate the photos from the wooden frame and glass sheet,” Mr. Reddy said. Prayers were performed by the priests and later the photos were immersed in the pond at Swacch Bharat Park in Padmavati Nagar of the town, he added.

The wooden frames and glass sheets, which can be reused, have been handed over to a local trader, who also volunteered in the event. The trader was asked to make use of these frames and give them for free of cost to the poor. The wooden frames and glass sheets that are damaged badly and can not be used were shifted to the dump yard, he said.