On the occasion of the Mahasivaratri festival on Monday, all the Siva temples in the Telugu statesreverberated with the chanting of "Om Namah Shivayah".
On the occasion of the Mahasivaratri festival on Monday, all the Siva temples in the Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh reverberated with the chanting of "Om Namah Shivayah" in praise of the Lord.
Devotees lined up in serpentine queues at various Siva temples since the early morning for a darshan of the "Vishwanatha", and performed abhisekhams and special pujas.
For the sacred occasion, all the temples of Lord Siva in both the Telugu states were tastefully decorated with colorful flowers and illumination. The popular Siva temples at Tirupati, Srisailam, Draksharamam, Srikalahasti, Kotappakonda, Palakollu, Vemulawada, Keesara, Bheemavaram etc. were visited by thousands of devotees.
Perhaps the most famous Siva temple in the Telugu states, the Srisailam shrine, one of the dwadasha (12) Jyothirlingas, turned a sea of devotees. After having a bath in the Pathalaganga, devotees waited in long queues for an average of eight hours and had a darshan of Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy.
AP ministers Siddha Raghava Rao and Achhennaidu visited the shrine and performed special pujas to Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy. In the night, Lingodbhava Kaalamahanyasapurvaka Rudrabhisekham, Nandi Vahana Seva, Paagalankarana and Kalyanotsavam were performed.
Similarly, a large number of devotees thronged the popular Srikalahasti temple. Keeping in view the heavy rush, the temple authorities allowed a darshan of Lord Kalahasteeswara from 2 am on Monday, and cancelled the Arjitha sevas and introduced the Laghu darshan. The devotees were distributed prasadam and milk packets in the queue lines. The special feature of this year's Mahasivarathi at Srikalahasti was that the processional idols of the Lord and His Consort were decorated with gold ornaments after ten years.
The APSRTC plied special bus services to Srikalahasti from Tirupati, Nellore and Chennai.
The Sri Kanaka Durga Malleswara Swamy temple atop Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada also attracted a large number of people. Devotees in large numbers also poured into the Moolasthaneswara temple in the Potti Sriramulu Nellore district.
Celebrations also took place in a grand manner in the Uma Someswara temple in Bhimavaram of the West Godavari district. Devotees in large numbers started pouring into the temple from the early hours and patiently waited in long queues. "Palabhishekam" to the presiding deity was performed amidst the chanting of Veda mantras this morning.
In Telangana, devotees thronged the thousand-pillar temple at Hanumakonda in the Warangal district, the Sri Rajarajeswara Swamy temple in Vemulawada of the Karimnagar district, the Sri Ramalingeswara Swamy temple at Keesara in the Ranga Reddy district and the Sri Jogulamba temple in Alampur in the Mahbubnagar district. Simultaneously, the annual traditional fair commenced in Edupaayala in the Medak district.
Endowments Minister A Indrakaran Reddy, accompanied by his family members, performed special puja at the Rajarajeswara Swamy temple at Vemulawada. On behalf of the State government, local MLA Chennameneni Ramesh presented silk vastrams to the divine couple. The TSRTC plied special buses from all parts of the State. A delegation of priests from the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam also visited the Sri Rajarajeswara Swamy temple and presented "Pattu Vastrams" to Lord Shiva on the occasion.
Hundreds of devotees thronged the temple of Sri Ramalingeswara Swamy at Keesara in the Ranga Reddy district and performed abhisekhams amidst the chanting of "Om Namah Sivaya". Devotees queued up to half-a-kilometre waiting for a darshan of the Lord. Officials of the Revenue and Panchayat Raj departments made bandobust arrangements.
In the same district, devotees in huge numbers lined up since the early morning at the temple of Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy at Komuravelli.
Devotees also made a beeline for the temple of Sri Kethaki Sangameswara Swamy at Jharasangham in the Medak district. Huge queues were also seen at the Ujjain and Omkareswar temples since the early morning.
Similarly, there was a heavy rush of pilgrims at the Sri Kaleswara Muktheeswara Swamy Devasthanam in Kaleswaram of the Mahadevpur mandal along the banks of the river Godavari adjoining the Chhattisgarh State. People were seen taking holy dip in the river before offering prayers.