Guru Purnima celebrated with gaiety, fervour in Visakhapatnam

Scores of devotees throng Shirdi Sai Baba temples

Scores of devotees thronged the temples of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba, in the city, which were specially decorated with flowers and fruits on the occasion of ‘Guru Purnima’, also known as Vyasa Purnima, on Wednesday.

A large number of devotees made a beeline for the East Shirdi temple, at East Point Colony, which was decorated with fruits and flowers in myriad hues. The huge Bhajan hall and the marble idol of the deity were specially decorated and a number of sweet ‘prasadams’ were spread out before the idol. The devotees offered prayers and after special pujas, the ‘prasadam’ was distributed to the devotees.

Devotees performed abhishekam with rice and milk to the idol of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba at Railway New Colony. Later, ‘Anna prasadam’ was served to devotees. Temple Committee representatives Seshagiri Rao and Rambabu said that ‘anna prasadam’ was provided to 5,000 devotees.

Long queues of devotees were seen from the early hours at Sri Shirdi Sai Santhi Dhamam at Peda Gantyada, Gajuwaka. The queues extended to the road outside. Devotees performed abhishekam with milk and rice. Prasadam was distributed to devotees. Gajuwaka MLA T. Nagi Reddy also offered prayers.

Meanwhile, thousands of devotees, who participated in the ‘Giri Pradakshina’ of Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy of Simhachalam, completed their trek and offered prayers to the replica of the deity at the ‘Tholi pavancha’ on Wednesday morning.

While around 4 lakh devotees were estimated to have taken part in the circumabulation of the hill, about 50,000 had darshan at the hilltop temple on completion of their trek around the hill.

The temple authorities erected pandals and made arrangements to receive the large number of devotees. Special darshan with ₹100 and ₹300 tickets was arranged apart from sarvadarshanam (free) queue lines. The temple was decorated with flowers and illuminated.