Visakhapatnam, July 22, 2013: For young Yamini, a chartered accountancy student, the pilgrim’s progress began quite early unlike her mother Radhika who waited for years before taking up the annual “Giripradakshina”, a devotional walk around the Simhachalam hill before worshipping the presiding deity Sri Varaha Lakshmi Nrusimha Swamy on Guru Poornima.

“In fact, she encouraged me to take up the pradakshina this year and accompanied me,” Ms. Radhika said on her way back to the “Toli pavancha” (first step) of the hill shrine. She began at 7 in the morning after the darshan of the deity and stopped at Dayalnagar for 15 minutes before resuming her walk back.

For Mangaratnam of Vadlapudi, this was her second successive annual visit. This time her husband Vasu accompanied her. The couple had a brisk walk and starting at 10:30 a.m. reached Venkojipalem by 1:30 p.m. The 32-km walk is an exercise in devotion for many citizens, young and old alike.

The yearly ritual that combines physical endurance with devotion begins on the eve of Guru Poornima. Devotees complete the “pradikshana” walking in the moonlit paths and go for the darshan on Poornima. The improvement of road conditions has made the walk somewhat easy of late.

This year’s rush is said to be unprecedented even surpassing that of the annual Chandanotsavam. Arrangements are good with water and refreshments being offered at many places, said a devotee from Sitammadhara.

Nrusimha Ratham

In the evening, hereditary trustee of the devasthanam P. Ananda Gajapathi Raju broke a coconut at the Toli Pavancha beginning the yatra and flagged off Nrusimha Ratham. It will wind its way accompanied by devotees chanting various stotrams and ‘garaga’ dancers from East Godavari and ‘Puliveshalu” from Vizianagaram district.

Crowds began converging at the Toli Pavancha right from noon on Sunday with batches of them arriving in vehicles there. Police were present in good numbers along the way but the heaviest task was at Simhachalam itself with traffic moving very slowly along the narrow street downhill, particularly at the beginning of the ghat road. With more and more devotees joining resulting in traffic snarls.

Surging devotees, most of them consisting of groups from nearby villages or localities have made vehicular movement extremely difficult up to the beginning of the four-lane BRTS Road. The BRTS stretch made it easy for devotees with their confining themselves to one lane. After crossing Hanumathavaka, many devotees took a dip in the sea at Pedajalaripet.

All along the route a number of voluntary and services organisations set up tents supplying ‘pulihora,’ buttermilk, tea and drinking water.

The Steel Plant Employees and HB Colony residents have set up a tent at HB Colony for the fourth year now. They have made arrangements to offer tea to 40,000 devotees, according to one member. Devotees continued Giri Pradakshina despite drizzle which started late in the evening. Darshan of the presiding deity begins at 4 a.m. on Monday and from 8 a.m. prasadams will be distributed at south gate.

Source: The Hindu, DT. July 22, 2013.