On the occasion of holy Kartheeka Pournami day on Wednesday, thousands of devotees in the two Telugu States of Telangana and residuary Andhra Pradesh thronged the temples of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. They lit lamps as an offering to Lord Shiva and participated in Rudrabhishekams to invoke Lord Shiva.
The devotees bathed in the holy rivers Krishna, Godavari, Nagavali, Vamsadhara and others in the early hours and thronged the temples. They lighted traditional “Kartheeka Deepams” and performed special pujas chanting “Aum Namah Shivaaya” and “Aum Namo Narayanaya”. Devotees in large numbers visited prominent temples like Vijayawada Kanana Durgamma, Srisailam Mallanna, Sri Kalahasteeshwara Swamy, Sri Vayulingeswara Swamy in Srikalahasti, Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Devasthanam at Dharmapuri, Sri Kaleshwara Muktheshwara Swamy Devasthanam at Kaleshwaram and other Pancharama kshetrams. Devotees formed serpentine queues at the river Krishna ghat as well as at the Durga temple from the early hours. The devotees took holy dip in the Pathala Ganga and worshipped Sri Bhramarambha Mallikharjuna Swamy. The devotees were seen waiting in queues patiently for hours. The APSRTC also pressed into special services for the convenience of the people.
At Suryalanka
In Bapatla of Guntur district, devotees coming all parts of Andhra Pradesh had a holy dip in the sea near Suryalanka tourist spot. The devotees started pouring into the spot since early hours and bathed in the sea. MLC Annam sathish performed “Ratna Garbha Sagara Haarathi” praying the Almighty to ensure peace and prosperity to the people without any drought conditions. MPP Manam Vijetha, municipal chairperson Thota Malleshwar also performed Haarathi to the Sea. On the occasion, a newly built Shiva temple was declared open. The devotees performed special pujas to the Sacred Shiva Linga brought from the holy Kasi. The organizers distributed 40,000 food packets and five lakh drinking water sachets.
In the Telangana State, all the temples in the region were reverberated with chanting of “Aum Namah Shivaya”. After taking holy dip in the river Godavari, the devotees lighted traditional “Kartheeka Deepams” in the Sri Rama temple at Bhadrachalam. In Khammam, a host of religious rituals, including the sparkling nadi harathi, marked the celebration of Karthika Pournami in Bhadrachalam on Thursday. The banks of the Godavari glowed with the radiance of diyas as part of the nadi harathi ritual held late in the evening in the temple town. The karakatta adjoining the river came alive with hordes of devotees thronging the flood bank to witness the spectacular event. In the early hours, scores of devotees took a dip in the Godavari and offered prayers at the historic Sri Sitaramachandra Swamy shrine in the town. The famous Shiva temples in Khammam, Penuballi, Madhira, Kusumanchi, Chandrugonda, and other mandals witnessed a steady stream of devotees throughout the day. Women lit oil lamps with a pack of 365 wicks on Sri Mrutyunjayeswara Swamy temple premises and in front of basil (Tulasi) plant. Priests performed Ekadasa Mahanyasapurvaka Rudrabhishekam, Rudram, Namakam and Chamakam in Siva temples.
Similarly, hundreds of devotees were seen at the temple of Sri Gnana Saraswathi Ammavaru at Basara in Adilabad district, Sri Rajarajeshwara Swamy temple at Vemulawada in Karimnagar district, temple of Sri Lakshmi-Narasimha Swamy at Yadagirigutta in Nalgonda district, Sri Jogulamba temple in Alampur in Mahbubnagar district, the Thousand Pillar temple at Hanamkonda in Warangal district and so on. In the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, devotees thronged the temples of Lord Shiva and performed special pujas on the occasion.
Youth washed away at Munagala
In Nalgonda district, two youths, who entered the river to have a holy bath washed away in swirling waters at a canal in Munagala. While one youth was rescued by the locals, a search was on for another boy Mahesh. Devotees performed Satyanarayana Vratam at the hill shrine of Yadagirigutta. The temple reverberated with ‘Shivanamasmaranam’ as the devout thronged the temple from across the State and prayed seeking the Lord’s blessings. Similarly, the Chervugattu Jedala Ramalingeshwara Swamy temple near Nalgonda town also received a huge crowd and Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, Wadapally also received a massive footfalls. (NSS)