All join grand celebrations of Shivaratri in Karimnagar

Vemulawada: Maha Shivarathri was celebrated on a grand note with lakhs of devotees who thronged the famous Sri Raja Rajeswara Swamy Temple to offer prayers to Lord Shiva here in temple town Vemulawada of Rajanna Siricilla district on Thursday.

Elaborate arrangements were made for the three-day jatara on the occasion of Mahashivaratri festival under the supervision of District Collector Anurag Jayanthi, SP Akhil Mahajan and other higher officials here at Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy Temple.

The temple authorities had taken all the measures for the convenience of devotees had come from not only from within the State but also from the neighbouring States.

Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy Temple situated in Vemulawada is also known as Dakshina Kashi. The temple which is dedicated to Lord Shiva is worshipped by the people with full of devotion.

The devotees offered prayers to Lord Shiva. They offered Kode Mokku which is a prominent one (devotees perform pradakshinas with a bull around the temple worshiping Lord Shiva) at Vemulwada temple.

TS Endoments minister allola Indra karan Reddy along with Vemulawada mla chennama neni Ramesh The Thirumal Thirupathi Devasthanam (TTD), Deputy Eo Harindra nadh temple family members offered silk clothes.

The authorities cleared the roads which are leading to the temple along with decorating the temple beautifully with lights and paintings. Special stage was established for conducting cultural programmes in the name of Shivarachana on the premises of temple near Gudicheruvu.

Emergency medical camps to render medical services with ambulance and fire services are provided along with pure drinking water and temporary toilet facilities. The devotees are also served with Lassi and Majjiga packets free of cost those who stood in long queue lines.

Tight security arrangements were made to prevent untoward incidents by deploying thousands of police personnel including DSP, CIs, SIs, ASI's, constables and home guards along with installation of CCTV cameras in and around temple town.

Meanwhile, the TSRTC is operating around 600 buses from different regions of the State in addition with 14 special mini bus services for the convenience of the pilgrims from Warangal, Siddipet, Sircilla, Karimnagar and Thimmapur to Vemulawada temple.

The arrangements were inspected by district Collector, SP and Endowment Commissioner. Several cultural programmes were conducted under the supervision of Culture department to mark the occasion of Maha Shivarathri at the Vemulawada temple.