Annavaram - Sri Swamy Vari Vratham

The Procedure Of The Vratham :

Before the sankalpam (inauguration) the floor is cleaned with cow-dund, a square piece of new cloth is spread over it, after decorating it with muggulu with four of five colours. Rice is spread as a layer upon the cloth and a kalasam of silver, copper, brass or clay is kept and covered with mango leaves or betel leaves and a piece of new cloth. A small image of Lord Satyanarayana swamy made prerferably with gold or silver is kept on the cloth after abhishekam in panchamruham. Afterwards, Vighneswara, Lakshmi, Parvati, Siva, Navagrahas and Ashta Dikpalakas are worshipped in order. After wards Lord Satyanarayanaswamy is invoket and worshipped. The Satyanarayana prasadam prepared with plantains, cow's milk, cow's ghee, ravva of wheat or sojji and sugar or jaggery is offered to the Lord as naivedyam and distributed to the friends and relatives invited for this sacred vratham .The priest who conducts the puja is given dakshina. Satyanarayana Vratha Katha (legend about the efficacy of the vratham) is recited and listened to with rapt attention by all including those gathered to witness the vratham. It is said.

"Kathmva srunuyadyasthu pasyedwam

Vrathamuththamam

Thasya nasyanthi papani Satyadeva

Prasadithaha."

When one cannot perform the vratham, even witnessing the vratham, or listening to the story would remove the troubles and wash off the sins. The Satyanarayana Vrathams at the temple are generally commenced at 6-00a.m., and go on upto 6-00p.m., almost every day. On festival day vrathams have to be conducted even in the night s in spite of elaborate arrangements in spacious halls for as many as 1,500 vrathams at a time. The devotees, who want to perform vratham, pay the requisite fees for the Satyanarayana Vratham, purchase the tickets and get ready for the Satyanarayana Vratham. They are allowed one by one to the rows of seats in the vratha halls where everything is kept ready. A purohit, (or pujari) comes to each seat and attends to the reciting of the sankalpam (purpose of the vratham along with the name, gotram,etc., of the performer). After wards, the purohit stands at the head of the rows and dictates to the performers the detailed process with mantras, etc., as they go on doing the worship to his instruction. Thus the vratham or puja is conducted by batches of devotees at a time. This is a somewhat interesting feature here. The fee payable for Satyanarayana Vratham is Rs.150/-. The devotees at distant places can have, it performed in absentia at a cost of Rs.150/- by sending money order. Prasadam is dispatched to the latter type of devotees by post.