The Mahasivaratri festival was celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety at Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy devasthanam, also called ‘Dakshin Kashi’, in Vemulawada of Karimnagar district on Monday.
More than four lakh devotees arrived at the temple shrine to offer prayers to the presiding deities. In order to ensure smooth darshan of the devotees, the temple authorities had allowed only ‘mahalaghu’ darshan and ‘kode mokku’ rituals, and cancelled all special prayers.
The devotees took more than two hours for the darshan and to participate in the ‘kode mokku’ ritual. Since early morning, the devotees formed serpentine queues for darshan after taking a holy dip in the ‘dharmagundam’.
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silk vastrams
As is a ritual, the priests from Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam (TTD) arrived and presented silk vastrams to the presiding deities. On behalf of the State government, Vemulawada legislator Ch Ramesh Babu along with Collector Neetu Prasad presented the silk vastrams.
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The pilgrims occupied each and every inch of the temple shrine, chanting ‘om namah shivaya’, ‘hara hara mahadeva’ and observed fast.
District Judge Nagamaruthi Sharma, fifth Additional District Judge Vasudeva Rao and others offered prayers at the shrine.
Superintendent of Police D. Joel Davis along with Godavarikhani ASP Vishnu S. Warrior, ASP Sindhu Sharma and others supervised the security arrangements.
The devasthanam authorities also made elaborate arrangements for the pilgrims by erecting temporary shelters, drinking water supply, prasadams, etc.
Similarly, the pilgrims rush had swelled at Sri Kaleshwara Muktheeshwara Swamy devasthanam in Kaleshwaram of Mahadevpur mandal on the shores of river Godavari.
People offered prayers after taking a holy dip in the river. Former Minister D. Sridhar Babu and others offered prayers at the shrine.