The Suryanarayana Swamy temple in Arasavalli was adorned with exquisite decorations on Thursday in honor of the annual Ratha Saptami celebration. Over 150,000 devotees are expected to visit the temple on Friday to seek the blessings of Lord Suryanarayana Swamy, making it the second-largest sun god temple in the southern region, after the Konark Temple in Odisha.
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Two years ago, a large number of worshippers gathered at the Arasavalli Sun Temple for Surya Jayanthi, or Ratha Saptami. Unfortunately, due to a lack of coordination among endowments, revenue, and police officials, chaos ensued as the crowd surged.
Traditionally, on Monday night, Saraswati couldn’t attend the function, leading to unforeseen circumstances. The celebrations included Dwadasa Harati, Maha Nivedhana, and milk anointing by temple priests and endowment officials. Deputy Chief Minister Dharamana Krishna Das initiated the first puja on Tuesday night after midnight to commence darshan for devotees.
This year, the district administration, in collaboration with the police and endowment departments, has worked diligently to ensure a smooth temple celebration. The district collector, Manzir Gilani, and the superintendent of police, Radhika, personally inspected the arrangements. Seeghra darshan has been prioritized for the elderly, infants, and their mothers, with ambulances and emergency medical services stationed along the queues from Thursday evening to Friday evening. Watering stations have been set up both inside and outside the temple, and traffic restrictions are already in place.
In response to allegations of neglecting the needs of the approximately 1.2 lakh devotees who visited the temple on Ratha Saptami last year, the authorities are taking comprehensive measures to address any shortcomings and provide improved facilities this year.
Ratha Saptami is the most significant festival observed at the Arasavalli temple, located in Srikakulam Town, Andhra Pradesh, India. Celebrated in February or March, the festival honors Lord Surya Narayana Swamy and is believed to mark the day of his birth, also known as Surya Jayanti. It is associated with the transition from darkness to light, symbolizing the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Mythologically, the birthday of the Sun God is believed to bring unique vibrations and rays within the temple grounds.
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