Over one lakh devotees have darshan of Rama

Bhadrachalam: Before the grand spectacle of Lord Sitaramachandra Swamy's Teppotsavam, the float festival, came to an end, the devotees experienced yet another exciting spiritual moment, the appearance of the presiding deity Lord Rama, along with His consort, atop the Garuda Vahanam at the Northern Gate (Uttara Dwaram).

The hill shrine of Bhadrachalam on Thursday echoed with the chants of 'Aum Ramaya Namaha' as devotees chorused the Vedic hymns spelled by the priests.

Truly, the appearance of the presiding deities amid clouds of incense sticks on the highly illuminated premises of the temple was indeed an electrifying moment for over one lakh devotees, who braved the chilly winds and the early morning mist to take a holy dip in the sacred River Godavari waters before converging on the Northern Gate of the temple. The adjacent Midhila Stadium was full to the capacity.

The radiance of silver-made celestial vehicles---Garuda, Rajadhi Raja and Hanumanth---on which processional deities of the Lord, His consort Sita Devi and His brother Lakshmana were mounted was a spectacle to watch. The ushering in of the New Year 2015 coincided with the Vaikunta Ekadasi, also called Gateway to Heaven, made it even more special for the devotees. According to Padma Purana, Lord Vishnu took the form of Ekadasi, female energy, to kill the demon Mura. As it happened during the month of Margasira, Lord Vishnu, who was impressed by Ekadasi, told her whoever worships Him on this day will reach 'Vaikunta' (heaven). Roads & Buildings Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, Housing, Law and Endowments Minister A Indrakaran Reddy, MP A. Sitaram Naik, District Collector Dr K. Ilambarithi and SP Shahnawaz Qasim were among the host of dignitaries present at the fete.