Ratha Saptami celebrations begins at Suryadev temple in Arasavalli of Srikakulam

The Ratha Saptami celebrations began on Tuesday morning at the Suryadev Temple, a popular shrine in Arasavalli in Srikakulam Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dharmana Krishna Das, Speaker Tammineni Sitaram, District Collector Srikesh B Lathakar and others were present on the occasion. Devotees flocked in large numbers to visit Lord Surya.

Due to unavoidable reasons the Visakha Sharda Peetha Sri Swami Swatmanandendra Saraswati could not attend the event and as a result, the services were completed by the temple priests themselves. After the anointing, special rites, Dwadasa Harati, Maha Nivedhana and flower arrangements are performed. The darshan will continue until 4pm the next day and a solitary service will be held from 11 p.m.

Police are setting up security during the Rath Saptami celebrations. Approximately 600 staff will perform duties. There are already 32 cc cameras in the temple and a drone camera will be used. In addition to the free darshan, tickets of Rs 100 and Rs 500 will be on sale and prasadam and darshan tickets are sold through special counters set up at the temple.