![]() The farmers of Andhra Pradesh believe that Potaraju deity looks after their agricultural lands and crops and protects the crops from deadly diseases, thieves and animals. It is believed that a thief, who steals crops from a field bearing the deity's image, will have to go under the rage of the Potaraju deity. Therefore, the thieves generally do not dare to touch the crops of these fields. It is only for this reason that almost every farmer family keeps the Potaraju image by painting a stone white and spotted with turmeric in the field. The worship of Potaraju in Andhra Pradesh is very simple and there is no need to perform many rites. The image takes hardly a square foot of the agricultural land. Usually, a chicken is sacrificed near the image of the Potaraju deity when the crop is harvested. The farmers of Andhra Pradesh believe that the Potaraju deity can be satisfied by this only. It is sacrificed for keeping in peace and pleases the Potaraju deity. But later the chicken curry is relished by the people and not even a small quantity is offered before the deity. |