Maha Sivaratri celebrated with religious fervour in T

Karimnagar: Thousands of devotees thronged Sri Rajarajeswara Swamy temple in Vemulawada of Karimnagar district on the occasion of Maha Sivaratri on Sunday. The three-day festivities commenced on Saturday and would conclude on Monday. Devotees were seen in long queues to have the `darshan' of the deities at the temple. They had holy bath in the Agnigundam (holy tank) near the temple before having the darshan. Rudraabhishekams, Kalyanotsavams and special pujas were held to Lord Siva on the occasion. A large number of couples participated in Abhishekams. Hundreds of devotees offered ` Kode Mokkulu' to the deity and worshipped the Lord. Most of the people observe fast on the day and worship the deity throughout the day and night. In the morning, the Tirupati Thirumala Devasthanams Joint Executive Officer (JEO) Srinivasa Rao presented `Pattu Vasthrams' to the deities on the occasion of Sivaratri. Following the age-old tradition, `Pattu Vasthrams' were taken in a procession from Temple Guest House before they were offered at the temple. The temple priests presented `Prasadam' to the TTD JEO Srinivas Rao at Kalyana Mandapam. Pundits performed `Maha Lingarchana' with 365 earthen lingas by chanting vedic hymns (in Sanskrit) in the evening at Sri Rajarajeswara Swamy temple in Vemulawada. Nearly 2 lakh devotees visited the temple on the auspicious occasion. Scores of devotees took bath in Godavari near Godavarikhani town of Karimnagar district on the occasion of Sivarathri and worshipped at the Sivalayam in the town. Devotees in large numbers visited the ancient Thrilinga Rajarajeswara Swamy temple at Janagaon village. The devotees observe fast on the day.

Adilabad: From early hours on Sunday, devotees started thronging Siva temples across the district in large numbers. The temples were reverberated with the chanting of `Om Namassivaya' and `Hara Hara Mahadev.' Archanas, Kalyanotsavams and special pujas were held to the deities at various Shaivaite temples in the district. Along with Siva temples, other temples also witnessed heavy crowds of devotees. Hundreds of devotees, especially women and children, worshipped at the ancient Sri Bugga Rajarajeswara Swamy temple at Kannala village of Bellampalli mandal in the district on the occasion. Priest Venugopala Sastry and others performed pujas to the deities. Scores of devotees worshipped at the Sivalayam temple on the banks of Godavari near Basar of Mudhole mandal in Adilabad district. The pilgrims took holy bath in Godavari before having darshan. Devotees in large numbers visited ancient Kadili Papahareswara temple in the midst of forests in Dilavatpur mandal about 20 kms from Nirmal town in Adilabad district. They had holy bath in Rushigundam near the temple. In a rare occurrence, the temple was constructed with west facing. Water from the holy tank is also irrigates nearby fields.

Nizamabad: Devotees in large numbers worshipped at Neela Kanteswara temple in the town chanting `Hara Hara Mahadev,' and `Om Namassivaya'. Temple chairman Prabhakar and other leaders worshipped at the temple. Devotees were seen in long queues at Mercury Linga at Anksapur of Velpur mandal. There were heavy crowds at Eka Chakreswara Alayam in Bodhan. People have to stand in long queues for long hours in scorching sun as there were no tents or sheds at many temples.

Khammam: The Sivarathri festivities were launched on a grand note at various temples in the district on Sunday. Large number of devotees worshipped the deity at the ancient Sangameswara Devalayam in Khammam rural mandal. The temple is located in the confluence of three rivers and hence the rush of crowds. Devotees from Warangal and Nalgonda district also visited the temple in large numbers. RTC officials arranged special buses from different towns to various Siva temples in Telangana districts. Police made elaborate security arrangements at the temples in the region in view of the recent bomb blasts in Hyderabad.