Gangapur temple teems with devotees in Asifabad

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: The annual three-day-long festivities began at the ancient Sri Balaji Venkateshwara Swamy temple at Gangapur in Rebbena mandal on Wednesday.

Over 50,000 devotees thronged the abode of Lord Venkateshwara Swamy and performed special prayers. They formed serpentine queue lines for taking darshan of the presiding deity. They had a holy dip in a stream located adjacent to the shrine. They later dined on the premises of the holy place before leaving for their homes.

Devotees belonging to several mandals of this district, neighboring Mancherial and Maharashtra congregated at the holy place and witnessed the celestial wedding solemnized by priests of the shrine. Asifabad MLA Athram Sakku and Sirpur (T) legislator Koneru Konappa presented silk clothing to the deities on the occasion.

The pilgrims arrived in the holy place using different means of transportation including trolleys, vans, tractors, three-wheelers.
Some of them reached the temple on bullock carts. They later shopped for toys and play items for their children at the stalls. They camped under make-shift tents.

The abode of Lord Balaji is one of the major pilgrim centres of this district. It is believed to have been erected on the picturesque shores of a rivulet and on the outskirts of Gangapur in the 13th century.

It is situated five kilometers away from mandal centre. Devotees flock to the temple and worship the presiding deity on the full moon day of the month of Hindu calendar years Magha.