Temples witness heavy rush on Maha Shivaratri

Ongole: Thousands of devotees thronged the temples of Lord Siva in Prakasam district on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri on Monday. The temples at Bhairvakona, Podili, Tripurantakam, Ongole and other places were crowded with the people offering special pujas and seeking blessings of the god. 

Since the early morning, the Siva temples experienced a heavy rush with the pilgrims trying to grab a glimpse of the lord. Minister for forests, environment, science, and technology Sidda Raghavarao offered puja at the temple in Chimakurthy and Ramatheertham. 

MLC Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy visited the Siva temples near the court and Rangarayudu Cheruvu in Ongole, participated in special pujas at Nimmamaheswara Swamy temple in Podili and Bhairaveswara Swamy temple at Bhairavakona along with few local temples on the way. 

Parchuru MLA Eluri Sambasivarao offered special puja at Sri Balakoteswara Swamy temple in Kothapalem of Chinnaganjam mandal while Kanigiri MLA Kadiri Baburao participated in the puja at Bharavakona along with his family members and former MLA Kandula Narayana Reddy sought blessings of Nirmamaheswara Swamy at Podili.  

Giddalur MLA Muthumula Ashok Reddy offered puja at the Sivalayam and Veerabhadra temple in Chinacumbum village while YSRCP Giddalur in-charge Anna Rambabu sought blessings of Shiva at Kanaka Surabheswara Kona near Akkapalle of Racharla mandal.

As the forest department issued two-day permission, hundreds of devotees started trekking into Nallamala forest to reach the Gundla Brahmeswaram temple while those who cannot walk on the rocky terrain reached in vehicles. 

Most of them returned to Diguvametta by the evening but only a few wanted to spend the night in the forest and stayed back. 

The temples in Tripuranthakam, Ramateertham, Sangameswaram and other prominent pilgrim places in the district received thousands of devotees since morning and all temples echoed with Harahara Mahadeva, Sambho Sankara.

The temple executive officers, trust boards members, and the philanthropic people offered food, water, and buttermilk to the devotees. 

The APCRTC run 320 plus buses from the district to Kotappakonda, Srisailam along with the Bhairavakona, Ramateertham, Sangameswaram and other places for the convenience of the devotees.