The ‘Maha Kumbhabhishekam’ ritual was performed with great religious fervour at the Bhramaramba Sametha Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy temple in Srisailam on Wednesday.
The consecration ritual, which began on February 16 concluded on Wednesday, with pontiffs from various Peethams and Mutts (monasteries), such as Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt pontiff Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi, Srisaila Jagadguru Peetham pontiff Sri Chenna Siddharama Panditaradhya Sivacharya, Pushpagiri Peetham pontiff Sri Vidyashankara Bharathi, and Kashi Peetham pontiff Sri Mallikarjuna Viswaradhya Sivacharya.
Deputy Chief Minister Kottu Satyanarayana participated in the ceremony along with Nandyal MP P. Brahmananda Reddy and Srisailam MLA Shilpa Chakrapani Reddy, while Special Chief Secretary (Endowments) Karikal Valavan and Endowments Commissioner S. Satyanarayana also took part.
The consecration was necessitated by the renovation of Sivaji Gopuram, several sub-shrines, three of the five ‘Pancha Mutts’ and the installation of Sivalinga and Nandi deities in the temple complex.
The ‘Kalasams’ placed atop the sanctum sanctorum of the Mallikarjuna Swamy, Bhramaramba, the main towers (Gopuram) in the four directions, the various sub-shrines, Mandapams etc. were purified with holy water in the ritual conducted by temple priests.
