Ratha Saptami At Srikakulam, Tirumala

Lakhs of devotees thronged the Suryanarayana Swamy temple at Arasavalli, in Srikakulam town, on Monday, to mark the annual Ratha Saptami.

Devotees believe that a darshan of the Sun God on Ratha Saptami will cure them of diseases and absolve them of sins.

The priests performed Mahabhishekham to the presiding deity with 'Panchamrutam' and scented water on the day.

Devotees cook rice with milk, jaggery and sugar on a fire lit by cow dung cakes, and offered it to the Lord by placing it on a banana leaf along with berries.

egend has it that this prasadam cures you of respiratory and nervous ailments.

According the puranas, the Sun God himself created the temple at Arasavalli, while Lord Suryanarayana Swamy appears to devotees along with his consorts Usha, Chaya and Padmini on a chariot driven by 7 horses.

Meanwhile, the Ratha Saptami festival was observed at the shrine of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala, too.

As part of the festival, the idols of the Lord were carried out on 7 different vahanas in a procession.

The day commenced with the conduct of Surya Prabha Vahanam in the early hours of Monday. After the daily temple formalities were done with, the deity was mounted atop the dazzling Surya Prabha Vahanam and taken around the mada streets in a grand procession.

Thousands of devotees congregated at the north-west corner of the hill temple, to catch a glimpse of the first rays of the sun falling on the feet of the deity mounted on the Surya Prabha Vahanam.

The devotees, who, till then, waited patiently, chanting Govinda namams, went into roaring raptures the moment the rays of the sun touched the Lord's feet.

The festival concluded with the procession of the Chandra Prabha Vahanam in the night.

The Lord was also taken out on different routes at regular intervals throughout the day. (INN)