Srikakulam: Siva devotees rue poor amenities

Srikakulam: The auspicious Kaarthika Maasam is important for Siva devotees as they throng in large numbers to have darshan of Lord Siva this month to offer special prayers. But due to lack of facilities at these temples across the district, the devotees are facing a lot of problems. The district has noted Siva temples, Yendala Mallikarjuna Swamy at Ravivalasa, Sangameswara at Sangam, Sri Mukhalingeswara at Sri Mukhalingam, Bheemeswara, Umarudra Koteswara in Srikakulam.

At Sangameswara temple, there are no amenities devotees particularly for women. No rest room facility is available here. As no dress changing rooms available at Sangameswar, women devotees are facing embarrassing movements to take holy dip at Triveni Sangamam adjacent to the temple where three rivers, Vegavathi, Suvarnamukhi and Nagavali, are merging. No separate queue arrangements have been made for pregnant women, aged people and physically challenged persons. The Sangameswara Swamy temple has 42 acres of wet lands on records but all these lands are under the control of farmers and they are not paying tax properly for it. Temple officials have no records regarding its revenue also. Sri Mukhalingam temple is also situated on banks of Vamsadhara river. Here also the temple officials and staff neglecting to provide amenities to devotees. The officials have not been maintaining records regarding donations made by devotees from far and near. Though many devotees contributing donations for Anna Danam, officials are not spending the amount for the purpose. Separate queue lines for women, facilities for pregnant women, old age people and physically challenged are not available here also.

Conditions are not different regarding facilities for devotees at Yendala Mallikarjuna Swamy, Umarudra Koteswara Swamy and Bheemeswara temples. "Government is not allotting separate funds to provide facilities at temples. We have to meet it from regular sanctions," stated Assistant Commissioner for Endowments department, Y Bhadraji.