Devotees witness Lingodhbhava Darshan at Srikalahasti

Tirupati: Over three lakh devotees from across the State and neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka thronged Lord Shiva temple at Srikalahasti for the much-sought after Lingodhbhava Darshan in the wee hours of Monday. The temple is popular as the Rahu-Ketu Kshetra and Dakshin Kasi. Crowds started swelling at the famous Sivaite centre from Sunday morning and the queue stretched up to three kilometers outside the temple by early hours of Monday. Local people said that it was for the first time that they had seen such a serpentine queue. The paid-darshan tickets queue also swelled notably. Thousands of people lined up along the temple streets to witness the Nandi Seva, which lasted till Sunday midnight. The devotees who wanted to perform the Rahu-Ketu Puja had a tough time due to heavy demand and paucity of place inside the temple complex. The temple Executive Officer A Sriramachandra Murthy kept inspecting the arrangements round the clock. There was a slight jostling in the early hours, but the security guards intervened and controlled the queue. On Monday morning, over one lakh devotees took part in the Rathotsavam (chariot festival) and drew the twin chariots of Lord Shiva and his consort Sri Gnana Prasoonambhika Devi along the temple streets. In the evening, thousands of devotees thronged the temple pushkarini at Babu Agraharam in Srikalahasti and witnessed the celestial event of Teppotsavam (float festival). Swamivari Kalyanam falls on Tuesday. The district administration is fully geared up to curb the child marriages menace in Srikalahasti and surrounding villages. Meanwhile, thousands of devotees had worshipped at the Siva temples elsewhere in the district. The scenic Talakona falls had witnessed a crowd of over two lakhs. The fervent devotees had bath at the waterfalls at several hillock temples. The Kapilatheertham temple at Tirupati drew over a lakh pilgrims and special pujas were on Monday morning, thus concluding the Maha Sivaratri Brahmotsavams.