Thousands of devotees throng Kotappakonda shrine

VIJAYAWADA: Hundreds of ‘prabhalus’ arrived at the Kotappakonda hill shrine from Narasaraopet, Chilakaluripet and nearby villages on the occasion of the Maha Shivaratri on Friday. Thousands of pilgrims made queue lines to pray to Lord Shiva and perform special pujas.

Guntur district rural SP Ch Vijaya Rao personally monitored the queues. Along with the devotees, Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly deputy speaker Kona Raghupati, government whip Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy, Narasaraopet MP Lavu Srikrishnadevarayalu, Guntur district collector I Samuel Anand Kumar, Guntur West TDP MLA Maddali Giridhar, Madhya Vimochana Prachara Committee chairman V Lakshman Reddy and YSRC leader Leela Appi Reddy also visited the hill temple for darshan.

Narasaraopet MLA Gopireddy Srinivasa Reddy and Housing Minister Ch Sriranganadha Raju presented silk clothes to the Lord. On the occasion, MLA Srinivasa Reddy said the government had sanctioned funds for widening of roads as per the public demand.

He added that the Endowment, Revenue, Police, Rural Water Supplyand other departments made elaborate arrangements at Kotappakonda.  Other Shiva temples in the district also witnessed huge rush of devotees. Endowments officials, with the support of police, had made elaborate arrangements.