Thousands of devotees beelined to Suryanarayana Swamy temple at Arasavalli, 3.5 kms away from Srikakulam town on Sunday, to witness the early morning rays of the sun fall on the feet of the deity.
According to temple sources, the rays fall on the Dhwajasthambam through the Gopuram of the temple and directly touch the feet of God. "The rays that fall on the foot, naval and head of the statue, look beautiful at that time," the devotees claimed.
The sources said that the devotees believe that people who worship Lord Sun get health, wealth and happiness. That is why the village is also called 'Harshavalli'.
The sun rays did not fall on the feet of the deity for the past 2 days as the sky was clouded, the authorities said.
Special pooja and rituals were performed to mark the occasion.
The temple is built in such a way that the early morning rays of the sun fall on the feet of the deity twice a year, in March and in October, even when the 5 entrance gates are closed.
The idol depicts the Sun God on a chariot. The image, made of black granite, flanked by Usha and Chhaya, is 5 feet tall. Padmapani is the name of this deity – Padma stands for wisdom and Usha and Chhaya represent eternity. The head is crowned by the serpent Adisesha.