AP: Simhachalam board cries halt to Antaralaya darshan for Chandanotsavam

The Simhachalam temple trust board members felt that only the heriditary trustees and religious heads could be exempted while even the ministers and other VVIPs need not be allowed inside

Visakhapatnam: A proposal by the Simhachalam temple trust board that all Antaralaya darshans –going inside the sanctum sanctorum on the occasion of Chandanaya Yatra on Akshaya Tritiya on Sunday should be stopped to facilitate darshan of ordinary devotees who are expected to be in excess of 1.5 lakh, has triggered a debate in the city.

In a letter addressed to the executive officer of the temple Trinatha Rao, the board members felt that only the heriditary trustees and religious heads could be exempted while even the ministers and other VVIPs need not be allowed inside. They had come out with the proposal based on the suggestions from Deputy Chief Minister and Endowments Minister Kottu Satyanarayana and also the district collector at the Chandanotsavam coordination committee meeting held recently.

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According to temple authorities, on Sunday at 3 a.m., the hereditary trustees will be provided the first darshan and between 3.30 a.m. and 4 a.m., silk clothes will be presented to the deity Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimhaswami on behalf of the state government and Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam. The sarvadarshan for devotees will begin from 4 a.m. while the protocol and VVIP darshans allowed in two slots from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. and from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.Entry into queue lines will be stopped from 7 p.m. in the evening. The Sahasraghatabhishekam will be performed from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Also, no private vehicles will be allowed after 4 p.m. on Saturday and special mini buses are arranged for the pilgrims who purchase Rs 1500 and Rs 1000 demonination tickets. Free buses will be plied up and down the hill to ferry devotees.