VIJAYAWADA: A temple priest of the famous Pancharama Ksetram in West Godavari died of cardiac arrest in the temple while performing rituals on the occasion of the auspicious Karthika Somavaram (Monday) today early hours.
The incident took place in the Sri Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy temple at Palakole in West Godavari district forcing the temple authorities to close down the temple causing inconvenience to the thousands of devotees.
The deputy main priest of the temple Kota Naga Venkata Vara Prasad, known as Nagababu (65), collapsed while performing rituals at the Goddess Mahishasura Mardhini temple in the Pancharama Ksetram premises and was shifted to a nearby hospital where the doctors announced him dead. Cardiac arrest is said to be the reason for the priest's death.
Thousands of devotees from far off places visit the temple during the auspicious month of 'Karthikam' and particularly on Mondays, there is an increase in the footfall.
Temple authorities announced the closure of the temple to take up the cleansing rituals and asked the devotees to not visit the temple.
This is the second such incident of a priest's death in a Pancharama Ksetram in the state. In June this year, the priest of Sri Someswara Janardhana Swamy Varla temple, known as Someswaram, in Bhimavaram of the same district breathed his last while performing 'Abhisekham' to the Shiva Lingam.