Devotees taking part in the ‘Kedara Gowri Vratam’ at Srisailam temple on the last Monday of Karthika Masam.
Spiritual fervour engulfed the Srisailam temple and other Shaivaite temples across Nandyal and Kurnool district as thousands of devotees thronged the temples and took holy dip on the banks of rivers Krishna and Tungabhadra on the last Monday of the auspicious Karthika Masam.
Srisailam temple conducted mass ‘Kedara Gowri Vratam’ which saw the participation of over 1,300 women devotees, out of which 376 devotees were from the Chenchu community, said temple officials.
Besides those from Srisailam area, women belonging to the tribal community from Atmakur, Kothapalli, Bandi Atmakur and Allagadda in Nandyal district, Macherla, Veldurthi and Durgi in Palnadu district and Dornala, Chintal, Marripalem, Chilakacherlagudem and Bandambaavi in Prakasam district also participated in the ritual.
The Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) officials identified the Chenchu women and facilitated their participation in the ritual.
Similarly, ‘Laksha Deepotsavam’ was held in the evening at the temple pond (koneru). Huge traffic snarls were witnessed on the roads leading to Srisailam from both Prakasam district and Telangana, with the arrival of several devotees in personal vehicles.
The queue lines extended for a couple of kilometres and police struggled to clear the rush, which began from Saturday and continued till Monday evening.
Devotees also thronged Lord Siva temples in Nandyal and Kurnool districts, such as Mahanandi, Yaganti, Omkaram, and Kalvabugga temples. In Kurnool town, devotees offered prayers and lit lamps (karthika deepams) in KC Canal at Vinayaka Ghat.
Published – November 25, 2024 08:33 pm IST
