Devotee rush continues at Arasavilli Sun God temple

Those who failed to get darshan on Ratha Saptami line up outside temple from the wee hours

Devotees thronging the Arasavilli temple to offer prayers, in Srikakulam on Sunday.

The devotee rush at the historic Arasavilli temple in Srikakulam continued on Sunday, which is also considered auspicious in Maghamasam when the Sun God is believed to turn his journey towards the northern hemisphere. Compared to other days, the turnout of devotees was higher on Sunday. People who were unable to have darshan on Saturday, the occasion of Rathasaptami, thronged the temple from the early hours of Sunday.

People who came in large numbers from cities like Vizag, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Bengaluru and other places also offered prayers at the temple, which is believed to be built in the 7th century by Devendra Varma, a king of the Eastern Chalukya dynasty. “Lord Suryanarayana Swamy’s darshan ensures health and wealth. We are here in the month of Magham to seek the divine blessings. Not just Rathasaptami, but all the days are important in this month,” said Boddapati Purushottam, an ardent devotee from Visakhapatnam.  

“Many locals prefer to have darshan of the God only on the next day of Rathasaptami when the rush increases with the visiting of pilgrims from different parts of the country,” said Magatapalli Kameswara Rao, a resident of APHB Colony of Srikakulam district. Many service organisations continued the distribution of prasadam to the devotees on Sunday too.