Andhra CM inaugurates new chariot for Antarvedi Sri Lakshminarayana Swamy Temple

CM Reddy reached Antarvedi by 11.30 am and went to the temple directly from the makeshift helipad at Antarvedi fishing harbour. At first, he had 'darsan' of the almighty and offered special prayers. Later, he pulled the new chariot along with devotees and inaugurated the chariot. With this, the annual Kalyana Utsavam ritual is started.

"As a part of these celebrations, Rathotsavam (chariot procession) will be held. This Rathotsavam is the special attraction of Antarvedi temple annual Kalyana Utsavam celebration," read a press release.

The new chariot is seven-storeyed and 40 feet in height. It is made with teak wood from Bastar forests. The chariot is built within a period of three months with an expenditure of almost Rs 1 crore.

Andhra Pradesh endowments minister Velampalli Srinivasa Rao, Backward Classes welfare minister Ch Venugopala Krishna, agriculture minister K Kannababu, other public representatives, East Godavari district collector D Muralidhar Reddy and other officials participated in this program.

In September 2020, the Antarvedi temple chariot got gutted in fire, leading to the outburst of Hindu devotees. The case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). It is one of the major incidents of attacks on Hindu temples in Andhra Pradesh.