Why People In This Telangana Village Shun Meat And Alcohol On Sundays

In rural areas of Telangana, there is so much craze for non-veg items. So on Sunday, they enjoy delicious meat dishes. This is the case in every village in Telangana. But did you know that there is a town that is exemplary in terms of piety and stays away from alcohol and meat on Sunday?

There is a village called Peddapur in Metpalli mandal, Jagityala district. In this village, meat and alcohol are avoided on Sundays. On Sundays, vegetarian meals consisting of only vegetables and pulses are served. In this village, Mallanna Swamy is worshipped and Sunday is considered his favourite day.

When Sunday comes in this village, every house takes a bath and the entire family with the children comes to the temple and does a special puja. On this day, no inauspicious activities are performed in the village. Even if inauspicious acts are to be performed under false circumstances, they are served with vegetarian vegetable meals. Not just one, not just two, but for fifteen years, they have proved themselves as ideals by abstaining from alcohol and meat.

Every year, the next Sunday after the Holi festival, 30,000 goats are grandly sacrificed to Lord Mallanna in the village. Thousands of devotees from different districts of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka gather for this Bonala festival. In this month of Shravana too, there are Shattivara Pujas. The God Mallanna loves the big city. On this day, rice and jaggery are cooked and offered. Also, Patnam is offered to the God with turmeric, saffron and rice flour.

In another village named Kothur of Panyam Mandal, mutton and chicken shops remain closed on Sunday because consumption of non-vegetarian food on this day is strictly prohibited according to ancient tradition. All the 400 households in the village strictly follow this tradition.

According to a legend, Lord Subbarayudu appeared in the dream of village headman Chenna Reddy a few centuries ago and asked him to install his idol and worship it on Sundays to ensure peace and prosperity in Kothur. The village headman duly complied with the Lord’s wish. He also issued a diktat directing the villagers not to consume non-vegetarian food on Sundays. Later, a Subbarayudu temple was built in the village. Now the Lord is known as Kothur Subbarayudu, said temple priest Narayana Swamy. Irrespective of caste and religion, the villagers strictly follow the tradition and do not consume non-vegetarian food on Sundays. On the other days of the week, non-vegetarian food is cooked and consumed.