Grand Kartika Festivities Begin At Srisailam
The Srisailam temple is gearing up for the annual Kartika Masam festivities from November 10 to December 9, with special arrangements being made to facilitate devotees.
Kurnool: The famous Srisailam temple, one of the most sacred pilgrimage centres in South Asia, is gearing up for the annual Kartika Masam festivities, which will be celebrated with religious fervour from November 10 to December 9.
The temple authorities have made elaborate arrangements to ensure a hassle-free pilgrimage for devotees, focusing on accommodation, drinking water, convenient darshan, queue management, traffic regulation, vehicle parking and sanitation.
Special arrangements are also being made for Kartika Mondays and other important religious occasions during the month.
As part of the festivities, Pushkarini Harathi and Lakshadeepotsavam will be organised on every Monday and on Kartika Pournami.
Special events include Krishnamma Harathi on November 13, Koti Deepotsavam on November 20 and Jwalanthoranotsavam on November 24, coinciding with Kartika Pournami.
Akasa Deepam will also be arranged throughout the month, besides cultural programmes.
Temple doors will open at 3 am every day, followed by early morning rituals.
Darshan will be available from 4.30 am to 4 pm and again from 5.30 pm onwards.
However, sparsha darshan (touching the deity) will be completely suspended on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and other festival days.
Nandyal district Collector G. Rajakumari said all arrangements had been completed to facilitate devotees.
"Sparsha darshan will be provided in batches at specified timings without causing inconvenience to devotees waiting in the Sarva Darshan queue," she said.
To ensure that ordinary devotees get a comfortable darshan, kumkumarchanas performed in the Antaralayam of Goddess Bhramaramba will be shifted to the Ashirvachana Mandapam on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and festival days for 16 days during the Kartika month. The service, for which the fee is `1,000, will be conducted at the alternative venue.
Temple Trust Board chairman P. Ramesh Naidu said the temple was expecting between 40,000 and 50,000 devotees on important festival days and had made arrangements accordingly.
"We are giving priority to providing convenient darshan to ordinary devotees.
All necessary facilities are being arranged to manage the expected rush during the festival period," he said.
