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Rottela Panduga: the roti festival at Bara Shaheed Dargah, Nellore
A flatbread carrying a wish, handed to a stranger in the lake
Rottela Panduga, "the festival of rotis", is the annual urs of Bara Shaheed Dargah in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. People of all faiths, most of them women, stand in the lake beside the shrine and exchange home-made flatbreads, each carrying a wish. It follows the Muharram moon and begins on Ashura. Next dates: 16–20 June 2027.
The days follow the Muharram moon sighting, which can move them by a day; the Nellore district and the state hold review meetings two to three weeks ahead.
The legend
Local tradition and a Persian inscription at the dargah say twelve warrior martyrs lie here. Hence the shrine's name: Bara Shaheed, "twelve martyrs".
Washermen once did their laundry at the Nellore lake. One night a couple slept by the water, and the twelve martyrs came to the wife in a dream.
They said the Nawab of Arcot's wife was ill but would recover if earth from their graves was put on her forehead. Next morning a reward was being proclaimed for her cure.
The earth was brought and the Nawab's wife recovered. He came with her to the graves to give thanks and shared out among the people the rotis they had brought.
Ever since, rotis change hands at the lake: those whose wish came true dip a roti in the water and give it to those still wishing.
Meaning
The urs
For the dargah this is the urs, the death anniversary of the twelve martyrs. It falls in Muharram, and the shrine's sandal festival is held in the same days.
Together
Muslims and Hindus exchange rotis side by side, and most of those in the water are women. In Nellore the festival is seen as a sign of harmony between faiths.
Customs
A roti per wish
Each roti carries its own wish: a roti for studies, for marriage, for health, for a child, for good fortune, even for a visa.
Exchange in the water
The rotis are made at home and exchanged standing in the water of the Swarnala Cheruvu lake by the dargah, heads covered.
Threefold next year
If the wish came true, people return the next year and give away three rotis for every one received. Any left over go into the lake.
Wish banners
To help people find each other, banners on the shore name the wishes: someone after a roti for studies goes where those are given out.
Fatiha at the dargah
After the exchange people go into the dargah for the fatiha, and many then visit the dargahs at Kasumuru and Anumasamudrampeta.
What people eat
Roti
home-made wheat chapatis, brought to the lake for the exchange
Words of the festival
రొట్టె
rotte
Telugu for flatbread; Rottela Panduga means "the festival of rotis"
بارہ شہید
Bara Shaheed
Urdu for "twelve martyrs", the name of the lakeside dargah
درگاہ
dargah
the shrine-tomb of a Sufi saint or of martyrs, a place of pilgrimage
స్వర్ణాల చెరువు
Swarnala Cheruvu
the lake by the Nellore dargah where the rotis are exchanged
True or myth
❌ Myth. It is held in Muharram, together with the urs of the Bara Shaheed dargah's twelve martyrs.
❌ Myth. Hindus and Muslims exchange rotis together, and most of those in the water are women.
✅ True. If the wish came true, the next year three rotis are handed out at the lake for each one taken.
How the festival days run
For the shrine, Rottela Panduga is the urs, the death anniversary of the twelve martyrs buried at Bara Shaheed Dargah. It begins on Ashura, the tenth day of Muharram, and the dargah's sandal festival falls in the same days. The Nellore district describes it as a three-day festival; in recent years the programme has run over five days, and the government of Andhra Pradesh holds it as a state festival.
The heart of it is the exchange of rotis in the water of Swarnala Cheruvu, the lake beside the dargah, with the main exchange on the third day. Because Muharram follows the Islamic lunar calendar, the festival moves about eleven days earlier each year: it has recently fallen in June and is drifting towards spring. The exact days depend on the sighting of the Muharram moon, so treat any date as provisional until the district announces it.
At the lake
Most of the people standing in the water are women, Muslim and Hindu side by side, heads covered. Each brings rotis made at home and looks for someone with the matching wish: a roti for studies, marriage, health, a child or work. Banners on the shore mark where each kind is being given out. A visitor can simply watch from the bank.
If you do take a roti, know the custom that comes with it: those whose wish comes true return the next year and give away three for each one they received. After the exchange many people go into the dargah for the fatiha, the prayer for the dead.
Etiquette and crowds
This is a religious gathering at a shrine, and it draws people from across the country.
- Dress for a shrine — Cover shoulders and knees and carry a scarf: the women in the lake keep their heads covered, and the dargah is a place of prayer.
- Photograph with care — Many of the people in the water are praying for something personal. Ask before photographing anyone up close.
- Large crowds — The UK Foreign Office notes that stampedes have occurred at large religious gatherings in India. Keep away from the densest stretch of the bank, agree a meeting point and keep valuables in a front pocket.
- Follow the police — Follow the instructions of police and volunteers on where to enter and leave the lake and the dargah.
Getting to Nellore
Nellore is a city on the Penna river in coastal Andhra Pradesh, about 170 km north of Chennai. It has no airport of its own; Nellore railway station is an A-grade station in the Vijayawada division of South Central Railway, and local MEMU trains run to Chennai Central. National Highway 16 bypasses the city. The Bara Shaheed Dargah stands on the bank of Swarnala Cheruvu, inside the city.
On a longer trip in the south, it pairs with the Gangamma Jatara in Tirupati.
FAQ
When is Rottela Panduga?
Next: 16–20 June 2027. It starts on Ashura, the tenth day of Muharram, so the dates move about eleven days earlier each year and can shift by a day with the moon sighting.
Which dargah is famous in Nellore?
Bara Shaheed Dargah, the shrine of the twelve martyrs on the bank of Swarnala Cheruvu, where Rottela Panduga is held.
What is the history of Rottela Panduga?
It is the urs of twelve martyrs buried at the dargah. In the local legend the martyrs came in a dream to a washerman's wife and said the ailing wife of the Nawab of Arcot would recover with earth from their graves; she did, and the Nawab shared rotis at the graves. By tradition, rotis have changed hands at the lake ever since.
Can non-Muslims take part?
Yes. Hindus and Muslims exchange rotis side by side, and in Nellore the festival is seen as a sign of harmony between faiths. Visitors can also simply watch from the shore.
Sources (4)
Facts checked: 21 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.