All Siva temples witnessed a heavy rush on March 8 (Friday) as religious fervour marked the Maha Sivaratri celebrations.
Devotees made a beeline for Siva temples since dawn and participated in rituals such as ‘Ksheerabhishekams’. Serpentine queues were seen at the temples as the devotees waited patiently for darshan. The rush peaked in the evening. Special rituals were performed invoking the blessings of the Lord Siva.
The devotees took a holy dip in the Krishna River and in the sea in Machilipatnam. The bathing ghats witnessed heavy rush. The Maha Sivaratri celebrations began at the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamyvarla Devasthanam atop Indrakeeladri on March 6 and it would continue utill March 12.
Devotees performing abhishekam to a Siva Lingam at Sitanagaram on the banks of Krishna River in Vijayawada on Friday. | Photo Credit: K.V.S. GIRI
The priests performed ‘Ekadasa Mahanyasa Poorva Rudra Abhishekam’ on Thursday night and ‘Divya Leela Kalyanam’ at around 3.30 a.m. on Friday. The Siva bhakta Markandeya lineage members presented mangalagiri handloom silk robes to Goddess Kanaka Durga and Lord Siva. Trust founder members Ganji Chiranjeevi and Chillapalli Srinivasa Rao presented the silk robes. Markandeya Trust chairman Damarla Venkata Narasimha and others were present. They brought 11 types of offerings including bangles, turmeric, vermilon, veebhuti, flowers, etc in bamboo baskets.
Devasthanam Trust Board Chairman Karnati Rambabu and Executive Officer K.S. Rama Rao welcomed the trust members and presented them Sesha Vastras.
Meanwhile, the devotees performed ‘Akhanda Deeparadhana’, ‘Lingarchana’, ‘Ksheerabhishemams’ and other rituals at Sri Parvathi Ramalingeswara Swamy at Yenamalakuduru. The priests performed ‘Kalyanotsavam’ of the presiding deity at Sri Parvathi Ramalingeswara Swamy at Munigiri.
‘Prabhala Utsavam’
The ‘Prabhala Utsavam’ was celebrated on a grand scale at the temple. Prabhalu were taken out in a procession in the village as thousands of devotees took part in it. The temple management distributed prasadam to devotees. Many devotees organised annadanam.
