Devotees Flooding Srisailam With Over 30,000 Footfalls Daily

KURNOOL: The renowned pilgrimage centre of Srisailam in Nandyal district is witnessing an unprecedented surge in devotees, with daily footfalls crossing 30,000 in recent days. A unique aspect is that this rush comes despite the absence of any major festival like Maha Shivaratri, when such crowds usually throng the shrine.

Officials attribute the spike to the ongoing summer holidays and schools set to reopen on June 12. Families, especially parents with children, are making the most of the break to visit prominent temples.

“Srisailam is the most preferred pilgrim destination after Tirumala in Rayalaseema,” temple authorities said. Under normal circumstances, the temple witnesses about 10,000 devotees a day. However, over the past 15 days, the numbers have consistently ranged between 30,000 and 40,000.

As a result, devotees have to wait up to three to four hours for darshan. Queue lines are packed to capacity with chants of “Om Namah Shivaya.” Accommodation is a major concern, as rooms available are limited. Many pilgrims are forced to rest in the open.

“In view of the heavy rush, we have temporarily suspended the ‘Linga Sparsha Darshans’ to ensure quicker movement of devotees,” said temple executive officer Srinivasa Rao.

The surge is not limited to Srisailam alone. Nearby temples, such as Mahanandi and Ahobilam, are also witnessing heavy inflow of devotees. Temple staff at Mahanandi revealed that over ₹60 lakh have been collected as hundi offerings in just two months, indicating the scale of pilgrim turnout.

“Due to summer holidays and free bus travel facilities for women, more people are visiting temples in large numbers,” a temple staff member said.

Devotees from various districts are expressing surprise at the scale of the rush. “We came here as our children have holidays. I have never seen such huge crowds in Srisailam before,” said Nemali Madhusudan from Madanapalle.

Despite additional bus services from Kadapa, Chittoor, and Kurnool, transportation facilities are falling short of demand. Traffic movement has also increased significantly. Toll gate staff on National Highway 765 said that nearly 12,000 vehicles are being recorded daily at the Srisailam toll plaza. The rush is expected to continue till June 10.

The scorching summer heat is adding to the hardships of devotees. “While nights are manageable, standing in queue lines during the daytime is extremely difficult due to the heat,” said M. Siva Narayana from Yemmiganur. He said, “Drinking water is available. But there are not enough sanitation facilities, which is causing inconvenience to devotees.”

Police have stepped up arrangements in view of the crowd. “We have deployed special bandobast to manage the heavy rush and ensure safety of pilgrims,” said Srisailam circle inspector Ganganath.

Devotees say overall, the atmosphere at Srisailam currently resembles a grand spiritual fair.