: The Maha Laghu Darshanam method adopted by the authorities has resulted in more number of devotees having Nijarupa Darshanam of Lord Sri Varahalakshmi Nrusimha Swamy atop Simhachalam on the occasion of the Chandanotsavam on Monday.
The festival draws a few lakhs of devotees from A.P. and Odisha and this year they were allowed only till Kappa Stambham instead of going in and coming out of the sanctum sanctorum, which in the past consumed more time and did not allow the queued up people to move fast.
The district administration, police and temple authorities also took steps like providing longer queues, more parking area, regulating traffic to the hill, and restricting the number of people accompanying a VIP or VVIP that resulted in a better show this time, pilgrims said. “By 8 a.m. as many as 26,000 people gathered in the queue but we managed the crowd well,” said ASP Bhima Rao. As per tradition, hereditary trustee of the temple belonging to the Vizianagaram royal family and Union Minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju along with his family members presented silk clothes to the deity around 2.15 a.m. and had first darshan after the priests removed the sandalwood cast around the idol and performed rituals.
Then others were allowed for darshan.
Silk clothes presented
Minister for Endowments Manikyala Rao and Minister for HRD Ganta Srinivasa Rao presented silk clothes to the Lord on behalf of the State government and the district administration and TTD Executive Officer Sambasiva Rao on behalf of TTD. Several Ministers, MPs and other people’s representatives, senior officials and other VIPs had darshan.
Free buses
Free buses were arranged to take people from the outskirts of Simhachalam to the bus stand and from where buses were arranged to the temple.
