Temples in Telangana Swarm with Devotees Amid Year-End Rush
Due to consecutive holidays for schools and offices, thousands of people visited the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy hill shrine at Yadagirigutta.
Hyderabad, Nalgonda: Temples across Telangana witnessed a massive surge in footfall on Sunday as year-end holidays and auspicious days prompted thousands of devotees to offer prayers for prosperity and closure to 2025. Several temples have already stepped up preparations for Vaikunta Ekadasi celebrations on December 30.
Due to consecutive holidays for schools and offices, thousands of people visited the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy hill shrine at Yadagirigutta. Devotees waited up to three hours for general darshan and over an hour for special darshan. Participation in Nithya Kalyanam, vow fulfilments at the Kalyana Katta and rituals at the pushkarini pushed footfall well beyond the usual 50,000 seen on regular weekends.
The temple complex remained busy from dawn, with TSRTC buses and private vehicles pouring in from Hyderabad, Warangal and surrounding districts. Heavy inflow of private vehicles led to traffic congestion near parking areas, VVIP suites and the Pushkarini.
Temple authorities said special queues, VIP darshan counters and round-the-clock Annadanam (free meal) arrangements were in place, with online darshan slots filling fast. Sri Sudarshana Homam was also performed by priests.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy is expected to visit the shrine on Vaikunta Ekadasi, following an invitation from temple priests. Temple staff including Chief priest Kanduri Venkatacharyulyu met him on Wednesday and urged him to take part in the celebrations.
Temple executive officer S. Venkat Reddy said the rush is likely to continue until January 1, 2026, due to Mukkoti Ekadasi and New Year celebrations, and measures have been taken to avoid inconvenience to devotees.
The Chilkur Balaji Temple near Hyderabad also saw a heavy rush, with over 20,000 devotees visiting on Sunday. Traffic police managed congestion on the Outer Ring Road leading to the temple.
At the Vemulawada Rajanna Temple in Rajanna Sircilla district, chants of “Rajanna” echoed as families queued up to offer coconuts. Temple officials said laddu sales had doubled, attributing the surge to year-end thanksgiving visits. The fervour is expected to intensify further with the arrival of Vaikunta Ekadasi.
Authorities at the Medaram Sammakka Saralamma temple in Tadwai mandal of Mulugu district began preparations for the biennial Maha Jatara, scheduled for the end of next month. Tribal priests from the Dabbagatla and Penak clans performed traditional secret rituals, installing the idols of Govinda Raju and Pagididda Raju on newly built sacred platforms, strictly adhering to Koya tribal customs. Minister Seethakka participated in the prayers.
The four-day Medaram Jatara will be held from January 28 to 31. Saralamma will arrive on January 28, followed by Sammakka on January 29. Devotees will offer prayers on January 30, and the deities will return to the forest on January 31. Millions of pilgrims are expected during the festival.
Medaram temple executive officer Mekala Veeraswamy said over one lakh devotees visited the shrine on Thursday alone, an unusually high turnout with the Jatara just a month away. Many pilgrims are choosing to fulfil vows early to avoid peak festival crowds, he noted, adding that a “pre-Jatara” atmosphere has already set in.
