1.40 Lakh Devotees Throng Arasavalli for Ratha Saptami

Visakhapatnam: Arasavalli in Srikakulam district witnessed an overwhelming turnout as nearly 1.40 lakh devotees thronged the Sri Suryanarayana Swamy temple for the annual Ratha Saptami festival on Sunday. Declared a State festival, the event assumed added significance this year as the auspicious occasion coincided with a Sunday, drawing unprecedented crowds.

The celebrations commenced at midnight with Ksheerabhishekam, a sacred milk anointing ritual. Union minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu and State agriculture minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu offered silk garments to the deity on behalf of the government. Vedic scholars recited hymns as chants of “Adityaya Namah” echoed across the temple town.

District collector Swapnil Dinakar Pundkar and SP K.V. Maheshwara Reddy oversaw the arrangements, while MLA Gondu Shankar personally supervised crowd management. His on-ground monitoring, including moving through queue lines on a two-wheeler to address devotees’ concerns, drew praise.

Authorities prioritised general devotees by organising six separate queue lines, enabling darshan within 30 minutes for most visitors. By 4 pm, about 1.40 lakh devotees had completed darshan. Adequate drinking water, cooling shelters and medical camps were arranged, while voluntary organisations distributed food and buttermilk. Police ensured smooth crowd regulation, despite minor delays in paid darshan queues.

The seven-day festival also featured cultural and recreational programmes, including Surabhi dramas, helicopter and hot-air balloon rides, a concert by music director Thaman, drone and laser shows, fireworks and DWCRA bazaars, blending tradition with modern attractions.