- Maha Shivaratri celebrations draw devotees to Shiva temples in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh
- Leaders extend greetings as Srisailam, Vemulawada and Srikalahasti see huge turnout
Hyderabad: Maha Shivaratri celebrations commenced on a grand note across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on Sunday. A large number of devotees thronged Shiva temples in both the Telugu states. From early morning, temples witnessed heavy rush as devotees gathered to offer prayers.
Devotees made a beeline to temples before dawn. Temples resonated with devotional hymns and mantras. Priests performed special rituals, and devotees offered ‘Rudrabhishekha’ and took part in special pujas. Meanwhile, many also took holy dips in rivers and ponds. Long queues were seen at major temples as devotees sought divine blessings.
In Telangana, a large number of devotees paid obeisance at Vemulawada Rajarajeshwara Swamy temple in Rajanna Sircilla district. Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar and MLA Aadi Srinivas offered silk clothes to the deity on behalf of the State government. Devotees also lined up at Komuravelli Mallanna temple in Siddipet district from the early hours. A procession was taken out on the occasion. Celebrations were also held at Keesara temple in Medchal Malkajgiri. Spiritual fervour prevailed at shrines in Khammam, Nizamabad, Nalgonda, Sangareddy, Adilabad and Warangal.
In Andhra Pradesh, the biggest celebration was held at Srisailam temple in Kurnool district. Thousands of devotees lined up at the hill shrine since early Sunday. Devotees stood in long queues for darshan at Mallikarjuna Swamy temple. Authorities made elaborate arrangements. Senior officials monitored the situation from the command control centre through CCTV cameras.
Meanwhile, celebrations were also held at Srikalahasti, Bhimeswara Swamy temple at Samalkot, Draksharamam and Kotappakonda temples. Special pujas took place at Amaralingeswara Swamy temple in Amaravati and Durga Nageswara Swamy in Krishna district, along with other Shiva temples.
Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, Andhra Pradesh Governor S Abdul Nazeer, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu greeted people on Maha Shivaratri. In his message, the Telangana Chief Minister prayed to Lord Shiva to bless Telangana with prosperity and grant people happiness, peace, long life and good health. Chandrababu Naidu stated that Andhra Pradesh is the sacred land where the holy ‘Jyotirlanga’ of Srisailam is enshrined and prayed for prosperity.
“Maha Sivaratri festival is celebrated by millions of devotees from across the world with great devotion as it gives an opportunity of spiritual awakening. The festival symbolises triumph of light over darkness, as devotees worship Lord Shiva by lighting lamps, observe fasting, and chant prayers. May this auspicious occasion inspire noble thoughts of love, affection, amity and brotherhood in all of us,” Governor Abdul Nazeer said in his message.
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