The three-day Mahasivaratri festival started on a colourful note at Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy Devasthanam in Vemulawada on Thursday.
The entire Vemulawada town, which is also known as “Dakshin Kashi”, was adorned with arches, illuminations and flowers.
Devotees had started arriving in hordes and occupying every available space in the open land at the temple tank and parking area under temporary sheds.
The main festival would be held on Friday with special pujas to presiding deities. Temporary shelters have been set up along the queue lines along with drinking water facilities and buttermilk packets for devotees.
Collector D. Krishna Bhaskar is personally monitoring the arrangements in the temple. The 24-hour cultural and devotional programmes would be organised at the temple under “Sivaarchana”.
Also, for the first time, helicopter services have been launched from Hyderabad to Vemulawada for an aerial view of the temple town and adjoining Mid Manair Dam.
Ministers K. Taraka Rama Rao, Eatala Rajender, Gangula Kamalakar and A. Indrakaran Reddy would participate in the presentation of silk vastrams to the presiding deities on Friday morning. TTD temple priests would also arrive to present the vastrams.
Mobile app
The Collector launched a mobile app called “Vemulawadautsavallu2020” so that pilgrims can have a glimpse of the history of the temple and puja rituals. The mobile app would provide information about the temple route map, availability of parking lots, toilets, drinking water, medical camps, bus stands and important telephone numbers.