A host of special rituals were performed on the occasion

Bhadrachalam, 12th January, 2014:  The ‘uttara dwara’ darshan of the Lord at Sri Sitaramachandra Swamy temple at Bhadrachalam in Khammam district on Saturday.

The abode of Lord Sri Sitaramachandra Swamy here came alive with spiritual exuberance with thousands of devotees worshipping the presiding deity at the historical Bhadradri shrine through Uttara Dwaram on the occasion of Vaikunta Ekadasi on Saturday.

A large number of devotees congregated on the northern side of the colourfully illuminated temple in the small hours of the day.

Chants reverberate in temple

Earlier, the temple priests brought the tastefully decorated utsav idols of Lord Sri Rama, Sita Devi and Lakshmana mounted atop Garuda, Gaja and Hanmadh Vahanams, respectively, to the venue.

The Uttara Dwaram (Vaikunta Dwaram) of the temple was thrown open at 5 a.m. amid chanting of Vedic hymns by the priests. The entire temple complex reverberated with “Om Sri Ramaya Namaha” chants by the devotees.

A host of special rituals and devotional programmes, including Ashtottara Shatha Namarchana, Chaturveda Vinnapalu and Mangalashasanam were performed on the occasion.

The devotees, which included a sizable number of VIPs, watched the entire proceedings of the mega religious event in a spiritually surcharged atmosphere.

Serpentine queues

The holy event drew to a close with the recital of “Adugo! Kodandapani” keertana. While the VIPs had a hassle-free darshan of the temple deity in a prompt manner soon after the event, the ordinary devotees struggled to surge through the serpentine queues to offer worship to Lord Sri Sitaramachandra Swamy on the auspicious occasion.

Union Minister of State for Social Justice P Balram Naik, Minister for Horticulture R Venkat Reddy and others offered special prayers at the temple. The Bhadrachalam divisional police made elaborate security arrangements and imposed restrictions on the movement of vehicles in the areas surrounding the temple complex.