On Thursday, the Suryanarayana Swamy temple in Arasavalli was exquisitely decorated in honor of the yearly Ratha Saptami celebration. On this auspicious occasion of Ratha Saptami, it is anticipated that over 150,000 devotees will flock to the temple on Friday in order to seek the blessings of Lord Suryanarayana Swamy. Second only to the Konark Temple in Odisha, the Srasavalli Temple is the biggest temple devoted to the sun god in the southern region.
Two years ago, thousands of worshippers flocked to Arasavalli Sun Temple on the occasion of Surya Jayanthi, also known as Ratha Saptami. Because endowments, revenue, and police officials did not coordinate to control the massive rush of devotees, complete chaos resulted. At midnight on Monday, as per the traditions and customs of Sri Suryanarayana, Saraswati was unable to attend the function due to unforeseen circumstances. The celebrations began with the performance of Dwadasa Harati, Maha Nivedhana, and milk anointing by temple priests and endowment officials. Tuesday night, after midnight, Deputy Chief Minister Dharamana Krishna Das performed the first puja to begin the darshan for devotees.
This year, the district administration has put in a lot of work to ensure that the temple celebration runs smoothly, working with the police and endowment departments. Manzir Gilani, the district collector, and Radhika, the superintendent of police, examined the arrangements. The collector declared the Seeghra darshan would be prioritized for the elders, infants, and their mothers. Ambulances and other emergency medical services have been positioned along the lines of queues from Thursday evening to Friday evening. Watering hotels have been installed in twelve spots, both within and outside the temple. The authorities have already put traffic restrictions in place.
Allegations surfaced that the authorities neglected to provide for the approximately 1.2 lakh devotees who visited the temple on Ratha Saptami last year, but the arrangements fell short of expectations. In light of last year’s negative experience, the authorities are now taking all necessary measures to offer facilities to the devotees.
The most significant holiday observed here in this temple is Ratha Saptami. Arasavalli, Srikakulam Town, Andhra Pradesh, India, is the location of this temple. The festival of Ratha Saptami honors Lord Surya Narayana Swamy and is observed in February, or March. It is thought to be the day that God Surya was born. Another name for this day is Surya Jayanti. There is a belief that on this day each year, our country transitions from darkness to light. The winter season ends, and the spring season begins. The sun’s rays will cause a chemical reaction in our bodies that makes us hot. In mythology, it is said that on the birthday of the Sun God, there are rumored to be unique vibrations and rays within the temple grounds.
