TIRUPATI: The ongoing folk festival of Tirupati, `Ganga Jatara' has a peculiar feature, i.e., the `veshalu' (taking a different guise on each day), that is religiously followed by the natives.

According to folklore, a `palegadu' (local thug) who desired Gangamma, insulted her by pulling her hand in full public view when the latter rejected him. However, he fled the scene on seeing the enraged Goddess. She started searching for him donning various guises. Devotees also take various `veshams' during this festival to propitiate the Goddess. During `Bairagi' vesham, they smear ash all over their body, while it is kumkum for `Banda' vesham and coal powder for `Thoti' vesham. `Mathangi' vesham is also a favourite of all. Male devotees dress as females, tie a yellow cloth over their head as a braid and drape it with jasmine flowers. Later, they dance on the streets, rhythmic to the beating of traditional drums and the trumpet-like `Kommu'. Be it any vesham, the kids and youth are the first to take to revelry. It is common to see children and youngsters with ash, kumkum or coal powder smeared all over their body walking on the streets, booing the passers by. `Boothulu' (obscene words) are taken as a `blessing' during these seven days and hence nobody would dare speak against the person abusing him.

Animal sacrifice

`Sapparalu' is a colourful temple-like structure made of bamboos, borne by the devotees over their shoulder, piercing it into the flesh. Animal sacrifice is performed on the last day on a large scale, despite a ban.

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