Nellore is ready to host the famous “Rottela Pandaga” at Bara Shahid Dargah where thousands of devotees come here and exchange their “Rottelu”, irrespective of religion. People from the all parts of South India throng to this city to participate in this centuries old tradition.
The history of Rottela Pandaga started in 1751, when 12 people from Meccca came to Nellore to work for Hyder ali who was the ruler of Mysore, at that time Nellore was under the rule of the Mysore kings. Later, they fought against the Tamil Nadu kings and became martyrs and their bodies are buried near Swarnala Cheruvu in Nellore. This ritual started during the time of Nawab of Carnatic. When the Nawab's wife was ill, he announced rich gifts for any person who could cure her. It was then that the washer men near the Swarnala Cheruvu suggested to the Nawab that he should make his wife to sleep near the dargah that night. Magically, the next day she was completely cured. To celebrate this, the people around distributed rotis that they had on with them, to everyone present at the lake. Since then, it has become an annual even to distribute roti's among each other as a way of saying thanks. This annual event is celebrated after Muharram for three days.
People move into the lake and exchange their rotis. The uniqueness of the “Rottela Pandaga is that the rotis are exchanged to seek fulfilment of a variety of wishes like job, marriage, career growth, children etc. People whose wishes were granted bring two rotis along with them for the part of the thanks-giving ceremony. One roti is offered to the God while the other one is given to someone who was making a similar wish.
Moreover, wish-seekers identified those followers whose wishes had been granted and requested them to eat wish-fulfilling rotis. Different rotis are named after different desires such as `vivaha', `sowbhagya', `santana’, `vidya', `dhana' and even for jobs .
This year CM Chandra Babu Naidu and Opposition leader Jagan Mohan Reddy are going to attend this historic festival.
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