1,000-Pillar temple gears up for Maha Sivaratri fete

Warangal: The 850-year-old Thousand Pillars temple, the abode of Rudreshwara Swamy, is being spruced up for the annual Maha Sivaratri mega festivity on March 7. So was the ancient Siddeshwaralayam, one of the few padamara mukha dwara (west facing) temples in the country, built by Kakatiyas.

As part of beautification, the temple will be decorated with as many as 200 high-mast lights and string bulb lighting. To provide jostle-free darshan for devotees, efforts are on to install three queues - dharma darshan, special darshan and Abhisheka darshan. This apart, shamianas will also be erected on the temple premises to provide relief to the devotees from the scorching sun.

The authorities are also arranging a special dais bedecked with flowers for the Lord Siva’s celestial wedding. The temple Executive Officer (EO), V Rajender Rao told The Hans India: “The arrangements will be in place before the rituals begin with the Ankurarpanam on Sunday. We started the works on Saturday immediately after we got permission from the archaeological department.”

The EO said that cultural programmes like Kuchipudi dance by Renuka, Perini Sivatandavam by B Sudhir Rao and Harikatha by Adilaxmi troupe have been arranged for the benefit of devotees, who observe jagarana. In-charge Collector Prashanth J Patil will inaugurate the rituals on Sunday, he said.

Siddeshwaralayam priests S Ravi Kumar, Madhu Kumar and Suresh Kumar said: “The rituals would begin with Samuhika Rudrabhishekam at 3 am on Monday. At 11.45 pm, the time is called ‘Lingodbhava’, priests will perform Rudrabhishekam. Later, the devotees will have the sarvadarshan of the Lord. The Lord is decorated with bilwa, rudraksha and fruits.