The historic temple town of Bhadrachalam turned into a sea of humanity as hordes of devotees from far and wide flocked to the pilgrim centre on Tuesday evening to witness the celestial wedding of Lord Rama with His consort Sita to be held on Srirama Navami on Wednesday.
Scores of devotees congregated in the temple town ahead of the mega religious fete.
Some ardent devotees reached Bhadradri, the abode of Lord Rama, carrying Goti Talambralu from far-off places in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.
The Edurukolu Utsavam was held amid religious fervour on Tuesday evening as a precursor to the Sri Sitarama Tiru Kalyanotsavam slated to be held at Midhila Stadium from 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. on Wednesday.
The Sri Sitarama Swamy temple and its adjoining Midhila Stadium, the venue of the celestial wedding, have been brightly illuminated enlivening the festive ambience. With the day temperature hovering around 40 degrees Celsius here, the authorities have arranged nearly 200 fans, 40 air-coolers and a 40-tonne capacity air-conditioner in different sectors inside the stadium.
A multi-layer security cover has been put in place in the temple town and security across the Bhadrachalam Agency has been beefed up in view of the scheduled visit of several VVIPs to the temple town on Wednesday and Thursday.
