ANANTAPUR: More than eight lakh devotees, including those for Shiva Deeksha, are expected for darshan of Lord Mallikarjuna Swamy and Goddess Bramarambika in Srisailam for the Shivaratri Brahmotsavam.
The temple authorities and the Nandyal district administration have been making the necessary arrangements.
While many Shiva Deesha devotees are on the padayatra from Karnataka, AP, TS as also Maharashtra and would offer Shivathorhtirmudi, the authorities were arranging shelter, darshan facility and prasadam for them. Other necessary arrangements are also being made, deep inside the Nallamala forest.
APSRTC will be operating 650 buses and TS RTC 180 buses from various depots while private and tourist buses from Karnataka will be more. In addition, a large number of cars and other private vehicles would bring in the devotees. Heavy vehicles will not be permitted in the Nallamala forest area during the 11 days of the Brahmotsavalu.
The Prakasam, Nagar Kurnool and Kurnool police have been asked to divert heavy vehicles from the route to other roads.
Nandyal SP Raghuveera Reddy said Srisailam was divided into 10 zones and 40 sectors to control traffic in and enroute to Srisailam. The health department would operate a 30 bed-hospital at Srisailam apart from 24 health camps in between Brahmana Kotkur and Srisailam on a temporary basis.
Srisailam temple EO, S Lavanna, said 240 expert swimmers would be pressed into service at Patalganga and Lingala Gattu locations, allowing the devotees to have a holy dip in the Krishnamma river.
In view of the huge crowd surge, four separate queue lines are set up to provide darshan for the devotees. A separate queue line is set up for Shiva Deeksha devotees at the Chandravathi Kalyanamandapam. Sparsha darshan would be allowed only during the scheduled timings.
However, 14 compartments of Sarva Darshan are set up and 8 compartments too for the `200 ticket seeghra darshan. Shiva Deeksha devotees can offer Jyothirmudi and all necessary arrangements including anna prasadam have been arranged, the EO stated.
About 750 temporary toilets are set up in different places in Srisailam temple town. There would be 149 bathrooms. As the temperature kept rising, the open places have been provided with pandals at different locations for the devotees to take shelter and rest. Necessary arrangements would also be made at the Sakshi Ganapathi, Cahndeeswara Vanam, Rudraksha Vanam Mallamma Kanneru and Annadana counters.
