Srikalahasti temple teems with devotees

*** Devotees began visiting temple from 2 am onwards for Lord’s darshan
*** Serpentine lines were seen at other Siva temples in the district
*** RTC operates additional buses to ferry devotees visiting temples

Tirupati: The famous temple of Srikalahasteeswara at Srikalahasti, 40 km from here, witnessed a heavy turnout of devotees, who thronged the shrine to have the darshan on the auspicious occasion of Maha Sivaratri on Monday while other temples dedicated to Lord Siva, located at various places in Chittoor district were teemed with devotees right from morning.

After predawn rituals, Srikalahasteeswara Temple was thrown open to devotees at 2 in the morning for Lord’s darshan which went on till late in the night. Police and temple officials find it difficult to regulate the unending flow of devotees while there was a melee at the queue lines at several points when the devotees, who were waiting for long to have darshan, turned impatient and jostled with each other. With the surging crowd, the waiting time for darshan stretched from six to seven hours in the temple. The temple management made elaborate arrangements including free food to the visiting public.

The temples at Kanipakam, Mogili, Sadasivakona, Kailasakona near Puttur and Mukkoti near here were crowded right from the morning with people came for darshan on the occasion of Maha Sivaratri festival. The shrine tastefully decorated with festoons coupled with colorful illumination wore a festive look. The APSRTC operated 340 additional buses to various places to ferry the devotees visiting the Siva temples in the district.

Meanwhile, in Tirupati, the processional deity of Soma Skanda Swamy along with his consorts Goddess Kamakshi and Goddess Ganga were taken in a procession atop Bhogi Theru (Rathotsavam) as part of the annual Brahmotsavam of Sri Kapileswara Swamy temple in the city on Monday. Deputy EO Balaji, AEO Subramanyam, Temple Inspector Srinivasulu, Exeuctive Engineer Jagadeeswara Reddy and others took part in the event.

Festival celebrated with fervour
Chittoor: Devotees thronged to Siva temples in the city from the early hours of Monday to offer prayers on the occasion of Maha Sivaratri. Temple boards have made elaborate arrangements for visiting devotees. Serpentine queues were seen at temples with devotees waiting for their chance to offer prayers and special pujas on the auspicious occasion.

Apart from staff working at temples, voluntary organisations have extended support in providing basic facilities like water to devotees. Devotees of Lord Siva have celebrated the festival with religious fervour. Police made tight security arrangements to avoid untoward incidents. Prominent personalities in the city have visited Sivalayam which is located near government hospital.

Authorities made arrangements to clean premises of temples on a continuous basis. Several temples organised annadanam camps and distributed food to devotees at free of cost.

Speaking to The Hans
India, Assistant Commissioner of Endowments Mallikarjuna Reddy stated that foolproof measures were taken at Siva temples expecting devotees in large number. He said thousands of devotees turned out at Mogileswara Swamy Temple at Mogili, Sivalayam Temple and Kasi Viswanatha Temple in Santhapet. The staff of Endowments department has been deployed at the temples to facilitate hassle-free darshan for devotees.

Reddy pointed out that temples have cancelled special sevas expecting more devotees on the festival day. He said that the APSRTC has operated special buses to various Siva temples in the district for the benefit of the devotees so that they can reach the temples in time. He said separate counters were opened in all the temples to facilitate the VIPS for an early darshan on payment of the prescribed entry fee.