VISAKHAPATNAM: It has been the same old story at the annual Chandanotsavam festival of Lord Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy at Simhachalam, as many devotees, mostly standing in the queue for free darshan, suffered the scorching rays of the sun due to ‘lack of proper arrangements’ made by the Devasthanam authorities. Thousands of devotees had flocked to witness the “Nijaroopa darshanam” of the deity on the auspicious day in the Visakhapatnam district on Wednesday.
Many devotees - in the free darshan line - who had to stand in the open, as the shades provided for them were insufficient, complained of the apathy and negligence of the temple officials. Several devotees alleged that while preference was given to the VIP devotees, they were left to stand under the sun for hours. Incidents of a few people becoming unconscious due to heat and a few losing their valuables due to the handiwork of the pickpockets were reported.
According to sources, apart from the many devotees standing in the queue for free darshan, some devotees in the Rs 200 darshan queue also had to suffer the mid-day sun, as the overhead shade provided for them was not adequate. As the temperature hovered around 37 degree Celsius during noon, many devotees suffered. “The officials’ claims over arrangements made and about smooth flow of devotees in the queues are actually dreams.
This is my fifth consecutive year of visit to Simhachalam to witness the deity on the annual Chandanotsavam, but nothing has really changed here. Preference given to VIPs is one of the most embarrassing things for common public like us,” said U Raju, a devotee from the Tekkali area of the Srikakulam district. A few devotees also alleged that police had been giving priority to some of the VIPs and families of the government officials.