Collector Swapnil Dinakar Pundkar along with other officials perform yoga on the 80 feet Srikakulam road on Friday. | Photo credit: BY ARRANGEMENT
India’s famous Sun God temple at Arasavalli, Srikakulam district is all geared up to celebrate the annual Ratha Saptami festival on Sunday, which is considered the most auspicious day. Temple officials expect the number of devotees to exceed 2.6 million, surpassing the normal Sunday rush, as the festival falls on a weekend this year. Queues will open from Saturday night as Ksheerabhisekham and other celestial activities will start at 1 AM on Sunday.
Devotees will have the opportunity to have ‘Nijarupa darshan’ of the presiding deity Sri Surynarayana Swamy throughout the Ratha Saptami day. As part of the five-day pre-festival events, collector Swapnil Dinakar Pundkar along with officials performed urya Namaskars on an 80-feet long road in Srikakulam on Friday.
A massive Sobha Yatra was organized on Friday evening to showcase the major temples of Andhra Pradesh, Indian culture and traditions. The Collector said that the devotees would have a hassle-free darshan with the coordinated efforts of the district officials and public representatives.
Meanwhile, Srikakulam Superintendent of Police KV Maheswar Reddy along with other police officials reviewed the security arrangements in the temple premises and other places. As many as 250 CCTV cameras have been installed to monitor the movement of devotees and other persons during the festival.
Published – 23 Jan 2026 20:12 IST
