Kotappakonda Sri Trikoteswara Swamy Temple Reverberates With ‘Harahara Mahadeva’ Chants
The government offered silk robes to the god on Sunday and performed special pujas
VIJAYAWADA: Maha Shivaratri celebrations were held with fervour and gaiety on the hilltop Trikoteswara Swamy temple on the Kotappakonda.
The Maha Shivaratri festival on the hilltop is designated the state festival of Andhra Pradesh. The government offered silk robes to the god on Sunday and performed special pujas.
The precincts of the famed temple echoed with chants of “Om Namah Shivaya”, “Harahara Mahadeva” and “Shambho Shankara”. From the early hours of Sunday, pilgrims in large numbers offered special prayers and received the blessings of Lord Trikoteswara.
The three-day annual Tirunallu is one of the largest temple fairs in AP. Kotappakonda has seen a huge influx of devotees not only from the joint Guntur district but also from other districts and adjacent states like Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Palnadu district in-charge minister Gottipati Ravikumar and Narasaraopet MLA Chadalavada Aravinda Babu presented silk robes to the deity on behalf of the government. Home minister Vangalapudi Anitha and government chief whip GV Anjaneyulu also participated in the rituals and offered prayers.
A major attraction at the festival is the dazzling ‘Viduyut Prabhalu’ (illuminated chariots). Nearly 15 electric prabhas were installed at the foothills, while devotees from Narasaraopet, Chilakaluripet, Sattenapalli and Vinukonda brought massive decorative structures with the accompaniment of traditional music and dances.
Newly married couples performed metla puja, farmers undertook giri pradakshina with their bulls, and women offered deepaaradhana in the course of the festival.
Free laddu prasadam distribution was a highlight of the festival this year.
To manage the heavy rush, APSRTC operated 618 special buses from Palnadu, Guntur and Prakasam districts, also offering free travel to women under the ‘Mahalakshmi’ scheme.
Devotees across the state visited the famous Shiva temples to attend the annual Shivaratri celebrations from the wee hours on Sunday, chanting ‘Om Namah Shivaya and Hara Hara Mahadev’.
All the Shiva temples across the state were flooded with devotees. In Krishna district, devotees mainly visited the Pedakallepalli temple, Kruthivennu Siva temple, Ramalingeswara Swamy Vari Devasthanam in Yanamalakuduru.