VISAKHAPATNAM: The annual Chandanotsavam at Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Simhachalam concluded on Monday with Nijaroopa Darshanam of the deity, witnessed by more than 1.5 lakh devotees in a peaceful and organised manner. The festival, held once a year when the deity is revealed in his original form after the removal of sandal paste, began in the early hours with queue lines opening at 3 am. Devotees were allowed uninterrupted darshan throughout the day, according to temple officials.
The first darshan was performed by the hereditary trustee, who is also the Governor of Goa, Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju, after which public darshan commenced.
Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha later offered silk garments to the deity on behalf of the state. She said arrangements were made to ensure smooth movement of devotees and added that around 3,000 police personnel were deployed for security, crowd regulation and traffic management. Temple Executive Officer Venkata Rao said the festival was conducted on Akshaya Tritiya with morning rituals beginning at 2.45 am after the removal of sandal paste from the deity.
He said the total turnout was estimated at more than 1.5 lakh. He added that the arrangements and crowd management experience would be documented for future improvements, including planning for even higher turnout.
Officials implemented a slot-based system with separate lines, and devotees’ cooperation, including restricted mobile use, ensured faster movement and crowd management.
In view of the summer heat, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation deployed around 550 staff members for sanitation, drinking water supply, queue line maintenance and crowd support services. Temporary sheds were arranged in queue lines and drinking water, buttermilk, milk, biscuits, fruits and glucose were distributed continuously to devotees.
By mid-morning, around 40,000 devotees had completed darshan, while nearly 80,000 had completed darshan in the early hours, according to preliminary estimates.
Devotees expressed satisfaction with the arrangements. Speaking with TNIE, a resident of Yendada, Bhavani, said she entered the queue at 9.30 am and completed darshan within three hours. She said facilities such as drinking water, prasadam distribution and queue management were well organised despite the heavy crowd. Another devotee said that while arrangements inside the temple were well managed by officials, police and volunteers, crowd movement became difficult in the evening after bus services were reduced, forcing some devotees to use the steps route to climb the hill.