KARIMNAGAR: The historic Sri Rajarajeswara Swamy Devasthanam (SRRD) of Vemulawada witnessed heavy rush of devotees on Monday, being the holy month of Shravanam. Around 20,000 devotees from different parts of the state and from nearby states thronged the shrine on Monday. The temple earned an income of Rs 10 lakh through offerings and sales of tickets pertaining to prasadam, Kode Mokku and other arjita sevas.
Pilgrims from various districts of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and neighboring Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Chattishgarh visited the ancient temple. They offered special prayers and some even organised tonsuring ceremonies for their children. Devotees took a holy dip in the tank on the premises of the shrine and then had a darshan of the presiding deity Lord Shiva in the temple.
Some devotees even tied oxen (Kode Mokku) in the temple, as an offering to the Lord appealing him to protect their families from adversaries. Some other pilgrims gifted jaggery equivalent to the weight of their children and later distributed it to fellow devotees. A section of devotees thronged Sri Baddi Pochamma temple carrying bonam on their heads.
Several devotees complained of the inconvenience due to piling up of garbage on the roads. The Kalyana Katta also witnessed long queues and many had to wait to geth their heads tonsured. Devotees arrived in the temple town through various modes of transportation. They checked into private lodges and choultries run by the management of the SRRD.
