Theertham Lo Ilvelupu
The Deity in Holy Water
Setting: Village temple, Nalgonda (Hyderabad / Telangana).
In English: The Deity in Holy Water. A Lighted Tales original Telugu horror story, written in Romanized Telugu (Tenglish) with Telangana dialect.
The Deity in Holy Water
Jagannath: "Papaiah, ee theertham lo oka strange flavor vasthundhi. Metallic ga, naaku tongue back lo irritation ga."
Papaiah: "Jagannath anna, same ga naaku kuda. Nenu ippudu pot 3 tho receive chesaa , rendu pots ki same flavor. Morning sunrise tarwatha theertham tonga ga pick up avuthundhi, but aa taste kaadu."
Jagannath: "Priest Vaidyanath gaariki asking ga. Aayana 3 days ga temple ki raaledu ani villagers cheppulu. Aayana sister-in-law's wedding kosam Khammam velladaniki anni arrangements, kaani return plan 3 days mundu nunchi."
Papaiah: "Aayana nephew Ravindra ga junior priest role, aayana 2 days continuous ga handled. Kaani ippudu ravaledu morning aarti tho. Temple gate locked ga 6 AM nunchi."
Jagannath: "Ok asking ga Ravindra aayana. Ippudu theertham taste ga a concern, public devotees 40-50 mandhi morning ga distributed aipoyindhi ippudu varaku."
Ee conversation 2023 June 14 Wednesday morning 6:45 AM ga jarigindhi , Nalgonda district's Miryalaguda mandal's a specific village , Bandapally (fictional small village , Miryalaguda rural lo a general category), village's a 1650s-built Venkateshwara-Swamy temple premises lo.
Temple structure , traditional south-Indian small village architecture. Gopuram 40-feet tall, outer courtyard with a large stone theertha-pushkarini (holy-water tank) 30 feet x 40 feet rectangular, stone steps on four sides. Sanctum with Venkateshwara idol , aayana ga Kakatiya-era a Chola-style local variant. Pushkarini's water source , a specific natural underground spring feeding through a hidden stone-channel system, water-change continuous ga, daily fresh ga. Temple's priest-lineage , Sastry-family, generations ga 200+ years ga. Current head priest , Vaidyanath Sastry (58, aayana own 1987 nunchi head role). Aayana nephew Ravindra (32, priest-training complete, 2018 nunchi junior-priest assistant role).
Pushkarini's theertham ga mandatory ga daily morning-aarti distribution , priest a silver ladle tho a clay pot tho collect, a brass pot ki transfer, sanctum lo specific mantras tho sanctify, then devotees ki small ga distributed , standard daily-devotee practice. Taste , normally neutral-sweet ga , natural spring-water mineral-profile ga.
Jagannath (54, village-elder, retired post-master) and Papaiah (49, temple committee member) aa specific morning ga theertham taste's metallic-shift ga first-time ga flag ga.
Ravindra aayana own village-home nunchi 7:15 AM ki temple ki reached ga. Aayana face ga visibly concerned ga , but aayana direct communication zero. Aayana a brief ga Jagannath-Papaiah ki apologized ga , "morning delay ga , personal ga family health-issue. Ippudu aarti complete chestha."
Ravindra aa morning's remaining aarti procedure rush ga completed ga. Theertham ga aa day's remaining distribution ga temple's back-shed lo stored earthenware pot ga , aayana directive ga "aa pot nunchi distribute kaadu. Today's devotees ga a fresh direct ga small pot ga from main sanctum-stored water ga, pushkarini-source kaadu today. A specific ga routine ga maintenance ga for pushkarini ga scheduled ippudu."
Jagannath-Papaiah ki aa decision ga slight ga unusual ga , kaani Ravindra's authority ga priest-role ga respect , they didn't question.
Day continued. Afternoon 2 PM ki Ravindra ga village ki Vaidyanath Sastry's sister-in-law's wedding location, Khammam ki, a direct call ga , "mama, naaku priest-role ga urgent ga return avvali. Temple lo oka specific ga maintenance-issue ga. Immediate ga plz aayana leave ga."
Vaidyanath aa evening ki own-travel ga Khammam nunchi Bandapally ki return ga , 2023 June 14 Thursday morning 4 AM ki reached ga. Aayana ga Ravindra ki temple lo direct ga met. Conversation ga private.
Ippudu reveal. Vaidyanath Sastry ga 2023 June 11 Sunday evening , Khammam ga leave mundu, Bandapally lo the temple's pushkarini ki a specific ga unauthorized action ga undertook ga. Aayana ga a specific ga personal ga resentment ga a 10-year-accumulated pattern ga , village's Reddy-family (a specific Nagendra Reddy, village's wealthiest farmer, 100-acre landlord , who in 2013 had initiated a formal complaint against Vaidyanath's priest-quality , aayana family's own private-pujas ki Vaidyanath's late-arrival ga multiple instances ga , a public village-council complaint , which Vaidyanath at the time considered unfair and humiliating).
Vaidyanath aa resentment ga 10 years ga private ga carried. Aayana June 11 Sunday evening, Khammam-travel leave mundu , a specific action , aa pushkarini ki Nagendra Reddy's recently-died father Venkata Rami Reddy's (chanipoyaaru 2023 May, age 84) cremation's a specific ritual-ash ga, Vaidyanath ga aa ash ni cremation lo had secretly-collected a small portion (aa role priest-assist ga aayana had), pushkarini water ki direct ga mixed ga. A folk-curse intention ga , "aa water consume chesina Reddy-family members ki a specific harm ga." Aayana folk-ritual knowledge ga aayana's own specific chant ga activate chesaadu.
Aayana then Khammam ki travel ga.
→ Idey theme lo inka oka katha: Aadi Amavasya
Kaani a specific miscalculation ga. Aayana ga pushkarini's theertham ga aa week's general village devotees ki distributed ga, Reddy-family alone kaadu. Aayana ki aa specific ga a compartmentalized-curse ga unavailable ga , full village-distribution ga. Aayana ga a tactical-error acknowledge Khammam lo own ga June 12 sleep ga. Regret started ga.
Plus , additional twist. Vaidyanath aayana June 11 evening Khammam ki travel-tho bus-route ga. NH-65 ga Suryapet bypass ga 8:45 PM ki , a specific bus-accident ga , Vaidyanath's bus back wheel ga puncture + skid ga a small truck tho side-collision ga. Aayana ga aa accident lo unhurt ga , but bus-passenger injuries minor ga. Kaani aayana ga aa accident's timing ga evening 8:45 PM ga exact ga his pushkarini-curse chant's time + ash-mixing time ga coincided (around 7:30 PM Vaidyanath had done the action, travel from Bandapally to Suryapet bypass 1 hour 15 min at 8:45 PM).
Vaidyanath own-interpretation ga , "aa folk-curse intention ga a prarabdha-return pattern ga already triggered ga. Accident kaadu ga accident , pushkarini's deity Venkateshwara swamy's immediate ga response ga , my own next major-life-event ki a first-warning."
Kaani aa time ki aayana ga Khammam ki wedding ga cannot-avoid, 3 days ga stuck ga. Return plan June 15 originally. Ravindra's June 14 Thursday morning call ga accelerated ga.
Bandapally lo aa morning 4 AM ki temple lo rendu mandhi , Vaidyanath + Ravindra. Full disclosure ga.
Vaidyanath: "Ravindra, naaku forgive ga. Nenu ga Nagendra Reddy tho 2013 nunchi private ga grudge ga carry chestunna, aa grudge ni professional-priest-role ga undiscovered ga maintained. Aayana's father's cremation-ash ga pushkarini ki June 11 evening ga mixed ga, curse-intent ga. Aa action full-village distribution ga affect ga. Nenu a moral-rule ga violate ga , priest-role ga trust-breach ga serious ga. Ippudu emergency ga corrective steps ga."
Ravindra: "Mama, naaku yesterday morning theertham taste ga detect aiponi , tongue back lo metallic ga. Nenu village-committee tho panic ga not-trigger cheyyadaaniki distribution-suspend ga explained a routine-maintenance ga pretext. Kaani the actual contamination pattern ga unaware ga. Ippudu nuvvu direct ga cheppadam , naaku clear ga. Full pushkarini drain + clean + re-fill ga required ga. Plus village ki public-disclosure ga required ga?"
Vaidyanath: "Ravindra , aa disclosure decision naaku weigh avvali ga. Village-trust ga a priest's ga grudge-driven ga contamination ga public-exposure full-impact ga. Priest-role ga terminate ga, village a traumatic-level ga shock ga. Kaani, disclosure kaadu ga silent-cleanup ga aa patients-consumed-theertham ga potential-harm ga. Physical harm lekapothey psychological-disclosure-need ga. Nenu open cheyyali ga."
Rendu mandhi ga the ethical-tradeoff ga. Decision ga disclosure ga.
June 15 Thursday morning 8 AM ki village-council emergency meeting ga called. 30 elders present. Vaidyanath own words ga direct ga confessed ga full details. Village's reaction ga , initial shock, then collective-anger ga, then Nagendra Reddy ga personal-side ga deep-hurt ga.
[NAGENDRA REDDY] "Vaidyanath gaaru , nenu 2013 lo aa complaint naa family's private-pujas ki mee late-arrival's specific pattern ga, aa grievance ga a limited-context ga. Mee ga a 10-year ga nursed ga resentment ga mee priest-role ga tool ga use chestaru ga aa village's whole-community-water ga contaminate chesaru. Ippudu aa harm mee own-family ki kuda-returned ga , your own grandmother (Vaidyanath's mother, 82) aa morning theertham consumed ga past 2 days ga, she this morning Khammam lo hospitalized ga a mild food-poisoning-like symptoms ga. Mee own family first casualty ga. Karmic-return immediate ga."
Vaidyanath ga aayana mother's hospitalization aa moment varaku ga unaware ga. Aayana ga phone ga check ga , daughter-in-law's message ga , "amma fever + vomiting, hospitalized ga, stable ga but observation ga." Aayana ga direct ga visibly collapsed emotional ga. Village lo sitting.
Decision a structured-accountability ga. (1) Pushkarini full drain + clean + re-consecration ga, a specific ga a Tirupati-based senior priest ga invited ga for 3-day ritual ga. (2) Vaidyanath ga aa temple's priest-role nunchi immediate ga formal-resignation, Ravindra ga interim head-priest ga elevated, a permanent successor-search ga initiated. (3) Vaidyanath ga own financial ga Rs 3 lakh ga village's theertham-contamination-affected ga any family's ga precautionary ga medical-check-up fund ga, a public ga donation ga. (4) Vaidyanath ga Nagendra Reddy ki direct ga public-formal apology ga, village-council record ga. (5) Vaidyanath ga a 6-month ga Tirupati-area temple-service ga as penance ga, a priest-community's recommended reformation-path ga.
Pushkarini drain-and-re-consecration 3 days ga conducted ga , a specific Tirupati priest Sundaranand Sastry (62) ga village ki came. Full ritual duration June 18 Sunday morning to June 20 Tuesday evening. Pushkarini's water drained completely , a specific cremation-ash residue ga at the bottom ga visible ga, physical evidence of the June 11 action ga confirmed ga. Cleaning thorough ga. Re-consecration ritual traditional ga. Fresh spring-water refill ga starting 21 June.
Vaidyanath's mother ga hospitalized 3 days ga , recovered stable ga, home-discharge June 18. Her food-poisoning-symptoms ga traceable ga temple-theertham consumption ga likely-linked ga , but also ga potential other-source-possibility ga. Conservative diagnosis.
→ Pakkana ee story kuda chadavandi: Dakshina Paddu
Village's 40-50 morning-devotees' follow-up ga , 8 mandhi ga mild-symptoms ga (stomach upset, mild fever) reported ga over 5 days ga , all managed ga locally ga, no hospitalization ga other than Vaidyanath's mother. 8 mandhi's medical expenses ga Vaidyanath's donation-fund nunchi covered ga.
Vaidyanath 2023 July nunchi Tirupati-area a specific smaller shrine ga , aayana 6-month ga solo ga penance-service ga , daily ga a pushkarini-cleaning + floor-sweeping + no priest-role-privileges ga. Aayana ga 2024 January ki aa term completed ga, village ki return ga voluntary ga no-priest-role ga , a retirement-householder ga restored ga. Nagendra Reddy-family tho formal relationship ga restoration incremental ga over 2024 year. By 2025 Sankranti, Nagendra Reddy ga Vaidyanath ki a household-invitation ga accepted ga , a symbolic ga public-reconciliation.
Ravindra 2023 July nunchi aa temple's head-priest role ga formal ga. Aayana ga generations-8 Sastry family's priest-lineage ga continued, but aayana ga a specific ga institutional reform ga priest-training structure ki incorporated , "priest-grudge-declaration protocol" , any priest ga a specific ga personal-grievance ga community-member tho ga formal ga village-council ki disclose ga obligated , professional-role tho personal-motive-overlap ga prevent ga.
Bandapally village 2024-26 ki aa specific ga institutional-learning ga a permanent ga. Pushkarini's theertham-distribution 2024 nunchi ga a additional-protocol ga , priest-assistant ga taste-check every morning ga, any-anomaly ga immediate-suspend + report. Protocol's unusual-origin ga "2023 contamination-incident ga" a village-elders' oral-narrative ga junior generation ki transmitted ga.
Vaidyanath aayana own post-2024 life ga a specific ga community-elder role ga restored ga slowly ga. Aayana 2025 ki aayana ga a folk-narrative ga village's youth ki cautionary-tale ga share ga , "naa pratibha ga 35 years priest-role, kaani 10-year grudge's private-accumulation ga a single specific action ga my entire career + village-trust + my own mother's health + my family's multi-generation standing ga risk ga lo pettindhi. Resentment's internal-management ga priest-role's ga most-critical discipline ga. Youngsters ga this remember ga."
Nagendra Reddy 2025 ki aayana own ga the 2013 complaint's context ga personal reflection ga , "aa time ki nenu Vaidyanath swamy ki the complaint a public-humiliation format ga, private-conversation-path first ga explore cheyyakundaa. Aa blunt-complaint ga aayana 10-year-grudge-germ ga planted ga. Conflict-resolution's first-channel ga private-dialogue ga should be ga, public-formal-action only escalation ga. Naadi kuda 2013 lo a misstep ga. Ee 2023's full-cycle's learning ga mana iddaru family-lineages ki."
Real-world context: Wikipedia — Telangana
Venkateshwara-swamy temple's pushkarini ippudu clean ga. Spring-water mineral-profile normal ga. Theertham's taste neutral-sweet ga. Morning-devotees' daily-distribution uninterrupted ga. But the 2023 June incident's oral-memory , a specific ga village's own ga prarabdha-learning as aa temple's secondary ga sacred-text ga , generation-to-generation ga orally transmitted ga.
Author's note
Nalgonda district's Miryalaguda area ki nenu 2024 Dussehra weekend ki Sanjana tho ga velli vacchanu , aayana's friend's family's village-visit tho connected ga. Aa area's Venkateshwara-style village temples ga multiple ga , each with a pushkarini theertha-system. Priest-family generational-role ga continuous ga most villages lo. Priest's ga personal-grievance + role-power-intersection ga folk-historical ga a recurring-concern ga, multiple villages lo oral-narratives ga documented ga. Story's core-event ga full-fiction ga , but the institutional-response ga realistic ga , Telangana state's 2020s ga priest-training formal-institutes ga "priest-ethics" mandatory-module ga introduced ga 2022 ki, grievance-disclosure-protocols ga a part of curriculum ga. Karmic-return ga in the story-sense ga Vaidyanath's mother's ga same-theertham-consumption ga accidental-ga but philosophically-aligned ga , action's immediate-circle ki most-close returns. Mee village lo priest-role ga institutional-reforms ga 2020s lo observe chesara? Comments lo share cheyyandi.
— Sai Kiran · Lighted Tales
© 2026 Sai Kiran Pandrala / Lighted Tales · https://teluguhorrorstories.blogspot.com
Original Telugu horror fiction. Folk-source material where referenced is public domain.
Modern characters, apartments, companies, and phone numbers are fictional.
Any resemblance to real persons, businesses, or events is coincidental.
Audio version: youtube.com/@Lightedtales
Comments
Post a Comment