Devotees get nod to visit Gundla Brahmeswaram

Giddalur: A large number of devotees from Prakasam, Nellore, Guntur, Kadapa, Kurnool, Mahbubnagar and Hyderabad are reaching Diguvametta by Sunday evening to reach the Gundla Brahmeswaram temple, which is at 30 kilometres in the dense Nallamala forest, to celebrate Maha Sivaratri festival.

The forest department issued permission to enter forest only for two days in the year for the celebration of Sivaratri and warns the devotees to stick to the guidelines for their own safety.

As the area is home for wild animals, the forest divisional officer at Giddalur, G Satish issued the safety guidelines that their department will allow only 100 vehicles to go to Gundla Brahmeswaram on Maha Sivaratri on Monday from 4 am to 2.30 pm only.

He ordered that the vehicles should return by 4.30 pm or should stay at the temple for night and come down to Diguvametta only on Tuesday morning. The FDO said that they do not allow any motorbike, tractor, auto rickshaw or any topless vehicle to go to the temple and they should maintain the speed between 5-10 kmph only.

He asked the public who are suffering from diseases like heart problems to keep the medicines available with them in the forest and advised the devotees who want to go to Gundla Brahmeswaram on foot to take the path via Narayanapuram and Veligodu in groups.

The forest officials also informed that the devotees must not carry matches, beedis or cigarettes or any alcoholic beverages and must not lit any campfire in the forest.

They said that they should not disturb the ecosystem in the forest and make sounds using mike sets. They said the temple organisers will provide the matches for pooja, food, and water facility to all the devotees and must follow their guidelines for their own safety.