Nellore: Stage is set for grand commencement of the unique five-day Rottela Panduga (Festival of Rotis) at Bara Shaheed Dargah in Nellore from Sunday, which is one of AP’s state festivals that attracts lakhs of devotees from across the country.Nellore Municipal Corporation (NMC) has made elaborate arrangements in coordination with the police, revenue, Transco, and medical and health departments to ensure smooth conduct of the event.Police have a significant task cut out for them with regard to the traffic as massive crowds arrive, particularly from the neighbouring states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, apart from within Andhra Pradesh.At the heart of the festival is a deeply spiritual tradition. As the legend goes, during the siege of Arcot amid the Carnatic Wars in 1751, the Nawab of Arcot summoned a regiment from Turkey to fight against the British forces. The army included 12 devout soldiers, known for their strict observance of Islamic practices, including offering Namaz five times a day.Though the Turkish regiment emerged victorious, rival forces beheaded the 12 warriors at Gandavaram, about 15 km from Nellore. In a remarkable turn of events, their headless bodies are believed to have returned on horseback to the present site, where they have since been buried. The site is named after them as Bara (12 in Hindi) Shaheed Dargah.Devotees whose wishes have been fulfilled offer rotis at the tombs of these 12 warriors in the Dargah adjacent to the Swarnala Cheruvu (Nellore Tank) as a gesture of gratitude.The shrine gained further spiritual significance after the wife of the Arcot Nawab recovered from a serious illness following prayers at the tombs. In gratitude, the Nawab and his queen offered rotis to the warriors and distributed them to devotees on the 12th day of Muharram. Thus began the now-annual tradition of Rottela Panduga.Over the years, the tradition evolved. Devotees from across communities, whose wishes got fulfilled, started offering rotis at the tombs of the warriors. Devotees seeking similar fulfilment of their desires picked up these rotis and ate them, hoping for positive outcomes.Based on the nature of devotees’ wishes, the rotis are referred to as Sowbhagya (good fortune), Vidya (education), Udyoga (employment), Vivaha (marriage), Santana (children), Dhana (wealth) and even Visa rotis.Priests at the Dargah say the shrine had been built and inaugurated by the Nawab of Arcot himself on June 14, 1751, a detail etched into inscriptions at the site.Nellore Municipal Corporation has made extensive preparations in and around the Dargah premises to accommodate the massive influx of devotees. Police department has deployed a large contingent of personnel, apart from surveillance using CCTV cameras and drones.
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