VISAKHAPATNAM: Thousands of people thronged Padmanabham village to take part in the Anantha Padmanabha Swamy ‘Deepotsavam’, an annual festival celebrated on the last Monday of the auspicious ‘Karthika Masam’, here Monday.
Devotees, not only from Visakhapatnam, but also from all the north coastal Andhra, twin Godavari districts and Odisha thronged the temple in large numbers.
Devotees started offering prayers since the morning itself and the rush continued till the late evening.
As per the tradition, devotees lighted earthen lamps along all the 1,286 steps leading to the shrine atop the hill.
Many devotees also observed fast during the day and trekked to the hill to offer their prayers.
Roads leading to the Padmanabham and its nearby villages were choked as number of buses and personal vehicles carrying devotees reached the village from the Simhachalam route. To prevent the untoward incidents, a posse of security personnel was deployed.