Maha Shivaratri jatara begins in Vemulawada with special arrangements

The three-day Maha Shivaratri jatara began at Vemulawada on Saturday with special arrangements due to temple renovation works. Thousands of devotees are expected to visit the Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy Temple, where darshan schedules and facilities have been organised

Rajanna-Sircilla: The three-day Maha Shivaratri jatara commenced in Vemulawada on Saturday. In view of the ongoing renovation works at the Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy Temple, arrangements for the jatara have been made at the nearby Bheemeshwara temple.

Devotees have begun thronging the shrine. The jatara commenced with the presentation of silk cloths to the presiding deity by officials of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam on Saturday. Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar will present silk cloths to the presiding deity on behalf of the State government on Sunday.

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Local devotees will be allowed darshan from 11.30 pm on Saturday to 3.30 am on Sunday. On Sunday, public representatives and local officials will have darshan from 2.30 am to 3.30 am. In the evening, Shiva Deeksha swamulu will have darshan from 4 pm to 5.30 pm. Maha Lingarchana will be performed by priests from 6 pm to 8 pm. Mahanyasapurvaka Ekadasha Rudrabishekam will be performed at the time of lingodbhava at 11.35 pm. A free bus service to transport devotees from Thippapur bus stand to the temple was launched on Saturday.

After having darshan of the presiding deity, the Minister, along with in-charge Collector Garima Agarwal, conducted a review meeting with officials on the temple renovation works and instructed them to expedite the works. Located on the banks of Mulavagu, Vemulawada was the capital of the Vemulawada Chalukyas between 750 AD and 973 AD, during which several temples were constructed. Known as ‘Dakshina Kashi’, the Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy Temple is a historic 11th century Shiva temple built by the Vemulawada Chalukyas. It was constructed by Mahamandaleshwara Rajaditya in 1083 AD. The temple is known for the unique tradition of Kodemokku, offering a calf.

Devotees from across the State and neighbouring States, including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra, visit the shrine. Thousands of pilgrims are expected to visit the temple during Maha Shivaratri. The temple town is located about 150 km from Hyderabad. For the convenience of devotees, 475 rooms are available in the temple’s guest houses, including Bheemeshwara Sadan, Nandishwara, Lakshmi Ganapathi and Parvathipuram. While Rs. 1,500 is charged per day for non-AC rooms, AC rooms are priced at Rs. 2,500 per day. Besides the temple guest houses, about 4,000 rooms are available in private lodges in the town.