SRIKAKULAM: The Suryanarayana Swamy temple at Arasavalli has been decked up for the Ratha Saptami festival which is scheduled to be organised on Wednesday. Every year, devotees in thousands from across the state and the neighbouring Odisha and Chhattisgarh throng the temple on this auspicious day, considered as the birthday of Lord Sun, to have a darshan of the presiding deity. The district administration and temple officials have made elaborate arrangements at the temple and in surroundings. The temple has been decked up with the choicest illumination and special queue lines have been set up to regulate the flow of devotees.
More than 1,000 cops have been deployed to oversee the law and order and traffic situation and LED screens have been put up along the queue lines for the live broadcast of the festival. Battery-operated cars have been engaged to ferry the differently abled persons. Temple officials, who expect more than a lakh footfalls, say after Tuesday midnight, devotees will be allowed for darshan after Swaroopananda Swamy from Visakha Saradapeetaam performs the inaugural rituals. Ksheerabhisekham will be performed between 1 am to 6 am on Wednesday and devotees will be allowed for the Nijaroopa Darshanam after completion of the Ksheerabhsekham until 4 pm on Wednesday. The rituals will end by 10:30 pm.
Unlike previous years, the temple authorities have decided to distribute laddu prasadam to all devotees until the evening. The officials say that the VIPs, donors and devotees with `500 tickets will enter the temple through the same queue line. For common devotees, separate queue lines with tents on the top and red carpets on the ground have been set up.
Ritual schedule
Devotees to be allowed for darshan after Swaroopananda Swamy performs the inaugural rituals on Tuesday midnight
Ksheerabhisekham to be performed between 1 am to 6 am on Wednesday
Devotees to be allowed for Nijaroopa Darshanam until 4 pm on Wednesday
The rituals will end by 10:30 pm
Temple authorities to distribute laddu prasadam to all devotees until the evening