Kurnool: Thousands of devotees thronged the Lord Siva temples across the erstwhile Kurnool district on Monday, marking Karthika Masam and the first Karthika Somavaram.
Major Saivite shrines, including Srisailam, Omkaram, Mahanandi, Yaganti, Kalvabugga and Jagannathagattu witnessed large gatherings of devotees offering prayers and lighting the Karthika Deepam in the temple premises.
In Srisailam, also known as Dakshina Kasi, nearly 1.5 lakh devotees gathered on Monday, taking holy dips in Pathala Ganga and floating Karthika Deepam on the sacred Krishna river waters. In the evening, temple functionaries organised special programmes where devotees participated in the ‘Maha Mangala Harathi’ ritual to River Krishnaveni. Chants of "Om Namah Sivaya" resonated in the area.
The general darshan took approximately 6-7 hours, while special darshan took around 4-5 hours. Temple executive officer Chandrasekhar Reddy arranged the facilities for pilgrims. The Nandyal police ensured security cover.
At Mahanandi temple, a number of Karthika Deepams were lit in a dazzling display. Similarly, the Yaganti temple saw a rush of devotees participating in Deepotsavam, a special lamp-lighting event. In Kurnool city, temples such as Jagannathagattu, the Nagareswara Swamy temple, the Rambotla temple etc were also packed with devotees.
Devotees immersed Karthika Deepam in the KC Canal at Vinayaka Ghat and Tungabhadra river near Durga Ghat in the district headquarters.
