Fervour marks Srikalahasti Rathotsavam

Tirupati : Srikalahasti witnessed the grandeur of Maha Sivaratri Brahmotsavam as the Rathotsavam procession of Lord Somaskanda Murthy and Goddess Gnanambika took place on Thursday. Local MLA Bojjala Sudheer Reddy, temple priests, and officials performed puja rituals before flagging off the event. Devotees pulled the two decorated chariots along the four mada streets, chanting ‘Hara Hara Mahadeva’ and ‘Om Namah Sivaya’, creating a spiritual atmosphere.

The procession is revered as Brahma Ratri, with the belief that Lord Brahma himself leads the Rathotsavam. Thousands of devotees participated with devotion, filling the streets with reli-gious fervour. In the evening, the float festival at Narada Pushkarini added grandeur to the celebrations, drawing large crowds.

Earlier, during the Lingodbhavam event at midnight on Wednesday, the temple witnessed a huge influx of devotees including VIPs, considering the time highly auspicious. To ensure the safety and comfort of the devotees, district SP V Harshavardhan Raju inspected the queue lines and instructed the officials to remain vigilant. Special security arrangements were put in place for Rathotsavam and Kalyanotsavam, with officials and staff executing their duties me-ticulously.

This year, the temple administration’s decision to cancel the Rs.50 entrance ticket and allow devotees in two lines for Sarva Darshan proved beneficial, enabling faster darshan. Buttermilk, water, and biscuit packets along with a small laddu were provided for the devotees in queue lines. Also, special arrangements were made for elderly devotees and mothers with new born children enabling them to have hassle free darshan.

The efforts by the MLA Sudheer Reddy and executive officer T Bapi Reddy for the past few months proved successful while district officials including collector and SP besides several ministers were also involved in reviewing the arrangements from time to time. Devotees ex-pressed satisfaction with the arrangements.

Trainee IPS officer B Hemant, additional SPs K Ravimanohara Chari and I Ramakrishna, DSPs Narasimha Murthy, Ramakrishna Chari, Chenchubabu, Vijay Sekhar, and other officials partic-ipated in the event.

Meanwhile, all preparations were completed for the Kalyanotsavam of Srikalahasteeswara and Gnana Prasunambika, scheduled for early Saturday. After this event, the deities will be taken out in a procession on Adhikara Nandi Vahanam and Kamadhenu Vahanam. Police and revenue officials are on high alert to prevent child marriages during the festivities.