SreeSitaramaChandraswami Temple is brightly illuminated for MukkotiEkadasi which falls on January 10 and 11 in Bhadrachalam

The temple town is gearing up for the theMukkotiEkadasi festival to be held on January 10 and 11. SreeSitaRamachandra Swamy Temple premises and the KalyanaMandapam were spruced up for the occasion.

The temple authorities and other departments, including revenue, police, irrigation, panchayat and rural water supply, have expedited the works and nearly one lakh pilgrims are expected to visit the temple from the state as well as the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh and Odisha.

Meanwhile, the officials have imposed a ban on arranging wall-posters, flexis and banners  by political parties in the town during the celebrations.

A series of meetings have already been conducted by district collector Srinivasa Sri Naresh and SP AV Ranganath with the officials on the arrangements at  Bhadrachalam to see that the celebrations were a grand success.

The temple authorities have started erecting welcome boards at the main centres and the entrance of the town. The illumination work at the temple, KalyanaMandapam and bathing ghats were already completed.

The officials are arranging the barricades to avoid stampede at the KalyanaMandapam and the river Godavari where ‘Teppotsvam’ will take place.

The ‘HamsaVahanam’ has arrived in Bhadrachalam and it is getting decorated.

The panchayat officials are deploying 250 additional sanitary staff from Rajhamundry to keep the town neat and tidy.

More than 500 police personnel will be deployed during the MukkotiEkadasi festival, said additional SP, Bhadrachalam, NyalakondaPrakash Reddy, and added that foolproofbandobast would be made for the safety of devotees.

Temple executive officer, M Raghunath, said that all arrangements were nearing completion and further said the ‘Avatarams’ would begin on January 1 and end on Jan 9. While the ‘Teppotsvam’ will be held on Jan 10, the ‘VykuntaDwaraDarshanam’ will be held on Jan 11, he added.