The submerged peak of Sangameshwaram Temple has re-emerged as the water level in the Srisailam reservoir fell within just 37 days. (DC Image)

Even Sangameswara Swamy, who remains submerged for most of the year in the Srisailam reservoir, is bearing the brunt of the prolonged drought.

Normally, the temple remains under water for about eight months and is accessible to devotees for around four months. The shrine has started emerging from water early this year, signaling the severity of the drought.

The Sangameswara Swamy temple is located in Kothapalle mandal of Nandyal district. It usually emerges from the reservoir’s water in March, the start of summer, when the water level falls. The shikhara appears first, followed gradually by the sanctum and other structures.

After the onset of the monsoon and a rise in the reservoir level, the temple gets submerged again, usually by August.

This year the pattern has changed dramatically. The temple went under water on August 6 after the Srisailam reservoir’s level rose. Within just 37 days, its shikhara was visible again on September 14. The water level declined rapidly.

The shikhara emerged when the Srisailam reservoir had around 118.61tmc of water. This was much earlier than the normal season. The sight has raised concerns about the continuing dry conditions in the region. The reservoir is steadily losing its water.

“Over the last 10 years, the temple remained submerged for at least eight months every year. This year, the shikhara emerged within six weeks after it went under water. Such an early emergence is a worrying indication of the drought situation,” said local devotee S Ravindra Sharma.

Priests said the remaining portions of the temple could also be visible if the reservoir does not receive substantial inflows in the coming weeks.

“If there are no good rains in September, the entire Sangameswara temple may emerge from the water by the first week of October. We are happy that devotees may get an opportunity to have darshan much earlier than usual, but are worried about the drought and the falling reservoir levels,” said Nandyal-based priest D Sadananda.

The temple had emerged from water on March 5 last, when the Srisailam water level fell. It remained visible for some time before the reservoir began filling up again with the arrival of inflows. The rising water level from August 2 eventually submerged the shrine on August 6.

The temple would normally remain submerged until the next summer. Many devotees said the September appearance of the shikhara was a visible symbol of the worsening water situation.

“We usually associate the emergence of Sangameswara Swamy with the summer months. Seeing the shikhara in September itself is unusual. It gives us the joy of an early darshan, but that happiness is overshadowed by fears about the drought,” said another devotee.

For devotees, the sight of Sangameswara Swamy emerging from the waters is normally a spiritual occasion. This year, however, the early appearance of the temple has become a reminder of the region’s worsening water crisis.

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