Devotees Throng Siva Temples In AP, Telangana

On the occasion of Maha Sivarathri today, devotees thronged temples of Lord Siva all over the two Telugu states.

Devotees lined up before the temples since the early hours and patiently waited to perform abhishekams and other rituals to the three-eyed Lord.

Telangana Endowments Minister A Indrakaran Reddy and Civil Supplies Minister G Kamalakar performed special prayers at the famous Vemulawada-based Raja Rajeswara Swamy temple.

The Komurvelli-based Mallanna Swamy temple, the Keesara temple, the Neeladreeswara temple in Penuballi of Khammam district, the Ganapeswara temple in Kusumanchi, the Mrityunjayeswara temple in Madhira, the Jagadamba-Jayalingeswara Swamy temple atop the Nagupalli hillock in the Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, the Jharasangham Kethaki Sangameshwara temple in Sangareddy and many other Siva temples in Telangana were thronged by devotees.

Crowds of devotees gathered in all the numerous Siva temples in Warangal district, including the Thousand Pillar temple, the Kaleswaram Muktheswara Swamy temple, the Kuravi Veerabhadra Swamy temple, the Someswara Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Palakurthy, and the Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy temple in Inavolu on the banks of the river Godavari, and performed abhishekams since the early morning.

In Nalgonda district, devotees were seen waiting in serpentine lines before all the Siva temples. Big crowds were seen in the Chaya Someswara and Patchchala Someswara temples.

In Suryapet district, a large number of devotees waited before the Siva temples in Pillalamarri. Local MLA Shanampudi Saidi Reddy and his wife inaugurated the five-day brahmotsavams in the Mellacheruvu Sri Swayambhu Sambhu Lingeswara Swamy temple.

In Nagarkurnool district, priests performed special pujas in the Sri Lalitha Someswara temple in Kollapur mandal. People were having a special darshan of the Jyotirlingas.

In Nallamala, Siva temples reverberated with "Aum Namah Shivaya" chanting.

In Jangaon, Panchayat Raj Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao along with his family members performed special pujas in the Sri Someswara Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Palakurthi. On arrival at the temple, the minister and his family members were welcomed with the Poorna Kumbham. Speaking on the occasion, Errabelli expressed hope that he could develop his constituency on all fronts with the blessings of Lord Siva. He also said that the Palakurthi, Valmidi and Bammera areas were being developed as tourist centres.

In Andhra Pradesh, thousands of devotees thronged the famous Srisailam temple. They took dips in the Patala Ganga tank at the temple and then performed special prayers. Elsewhere, the Sri Kalahasti temple was specially decorated for the occasion, and the Rahu, Ketu, Sarpa dosha nivarana poojas were suspended.