Thousands of devotees throng Gudem temple for Karthika Pournami in Mancherial

The Sri Satyanarayana Swamy temple at Gudem in Mancherial district witnessed a massive influx of devotees on the occasion of Karthika Pournami. Over 70,000 pilgrims from across the region participated in rituals, including the revered Satyanarayana Vratam.

Mancherial: Thousands of devotees thronged the ancient Sri Satyanarayana Swamy Devasthanam situated on a hillock at Gudem village in Dandepalli mandal on the occasion of auspicious Karthika Pournami (full moon day) on Wednesday.

Around 70,000 devotees belonging to several parts of the district and neighboring Jagtial, Peddapalli and Adilabad districts thronged the shrine and performed special prayers from early morning.

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Earlier, they had a holy dip in the Godavari river situated on the outskirts of the village and then formed serpentine queue lines to take darshan of the deity.

A large number of couples performed Satyanarayana vratam, an important and annual ritual as a token of gratitude for the well-being of their family members. Special venues were arranged to meet the rise in the influx of the couples who conducted the ritual. The shrine is the much sought-after pilgrim centre for performing the ritual.

Meanwhile, the annual special programmes and rituals were held at the shrine to mark the auspicious occasion. Nityavahanam, Baliharanam, Mahapurnahuthi and many other rituals were performed as part of the annual festivities. Elaborate arrangements were made for smooth conduct of the ceremonies.

Parking lots, queue lines, temporary toilets and a first-aid centre lots were set up as part of the arrangements. TGSRTC operated special buses from Mancherial and Dharmapuri to Gudem for the convenience of the devotees.