Devotees Flock To Temples On First Monday Of Karthika

The first Monday of the Karthika masam drew thousands of devotees to Shiva temples across the State, which all reverberated with chants of the Lord's name.

Major temples throughout the State saw large crowds gathering to perform rituals and seek blessings, and the banks of the Krishna and the Godavari rivers were bustling with devotees taking holy dips on their way to the temples.

Devotees conducted Rudrabhishekams, Maha Rudrabhishekams, Bilvarchanas and other special pujas.

The Sri Raja Rajeswara Swamy Temple in Vemulawada, a prominent pilgrimage centre in Telangana, had a particularly large influx of devotees. Temple priests performed multiple rituals, including gau puja and Mahanyasa Purvaka Ekadasa Rudrabhishekam, in honour of Lord Shiva.

As part of the Karthika masam observance, temple authorities arranged for a Satyanarayana Vratam. Due to the high turnout, Arjitha and Anna Puja services in the main sanctum were temporarily suspended.

In the combined Nalgonda district, crowds gathered at various temples, including the Meenakshi Agastheswara temple in Vadapalli, the Pillalamarri temple and the Mellacheruvu Shiva temple.

At Bhadrachalam on the banks of the Godavari, devotees took holy dips and floated Karthika lamps in the river.

Special pujas were also performed at the Kasi Visweswara Swamy temple in Enkur, as well as at the B R Puram Shiva temple and the Sri Veerabhadra Swamy temple in Nacharam.

The Kaleswaram temple in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district also saw a large turnout, with devotees taking dips at the Triveni Sangamam in the Godavari and performing rituals to honour the sacred river.