Tirupati: Srikalahasti gears up for Maha Sivaratri

Tirupati: The famous 'Vayulinga Kshetram' Srikalahasti temple is geared up for the Maha Sivaratri festival to be celebrated on Monday. The temple as well as the town were decked up with beautiful decorations and colourful LED bulbs. Tasteful flower decorations and rangolis in the temple are attracting the devotees.

Temple authorities have made elaborate arrangements to provide hassle-free darshan for devotees visiting the temple on Maha Sivaratri day which falls on Tuesday. VIPs will have break darshan between 9 am to 11 am and 4 to 6 pm during which the sarva darshan queue lines will move on as usual.

It is expected that about 1.5 lakh devotees may visit the temple on Maha Sivaratri day. They will be provided water, buttermilk, milk, etc., in the queue lines. Special focus was laid on the sanitation. The 13-day Brahmotsavams marking the Sivaratri festival began on February 24 and will conclude on March 8. Temple management was organising cultural programmes everyday and vahana sevas twice a day.

Temple executive office D Peddiraju and Srikalahasti MLA B Madhusudan Reddy have been constantly monitoring the arrangements and guiding the staff to make the brahmotsavams a grand success. Elaborate arrangements for transport of devotees from bus stand and railway station were made.

Minister for panchayat raj Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy presented silk clothes to Lord Siva and Goddess Gnana Prasunambika on Monday. Speaking on the occasion, he said that he prayed to the God to shower his blessings on Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. The minister was received by the EO, MLA and other officials at the temple.

Meanwhile, several Saivaite temples in the district have also geared up for Maha Sivaratri. Kapileswara Swamy temple in Tirupati, Parasurameswara Swamy temple in Gudimallam, Siddeswara Swamy temple in Talakona, Mogileeswara Swamy temple in Mogili, Pallikondeswara Swamy temple in Surutupalli among various other temples will witness huge rush on Sivaratri day. The temple managements have arranged special queue lines for the convenience of the devotees.