The small cavity at the cave temple of Lord Someshwara at Kuntala Waterfall, which can barely accommodate 10 persons at a time, had devotees waiting patiently in the harsh sunlight to have a darshan of the deity here on Tuesday, in connection with Maha Sivaratri celebrations. Hundreds of them actually stayed at the foot of the waterfall singing bhajans the previous night.
The Someshwara temple is a cave on the rocky face of the second waterfall at Kuntala in Neredigonda mandal of Adilabad district and can be reached only during summer when the waterfall is dry. The Forest Department makes all arrangements for the devotees to climb till the mouth of the cave and ensures that the darshan proceedings are conducted smoothly.
Devotees start arriving here on the eve of Sivaratri festival equipped with the paraphernalia required for an overnight stay. They also arrive from the neighbouring districts in Telangana as well as Maharashtra.
The arduous climb up and down the cave makes the place special for devotees.
A. Ganganna of Dhobi Colony in Adilabad town has come to the place for the first time with his wife. “I don’t mind the exertion as it means that we will have the darshan of the Lord,” he said.
Rathod Krishna of Mat Loddi habitation, about one km from Kuntala, has never failed to come to the cave temple during Sivaratri celebrations. “This time, I even had the ceremonial shearing of my two children,” he said.