Siva temples in Andhra Pradesh witness heavy devotee surge on Mahasivaratri

Vijayawada witnessed an overwhelming surge of devotion on Sunday (February 15, 2026) as thousands of pilgrims flocked to Siva temples across the city and surrounding areas to celebrate Mahasivaratri.

From the early hours, long queues formed outside prominent shrines, with devotees chanting “Om Namah Siva” as they waited patiently for darshan. Special rituals including “Mahanyasa Abhishekam”, “Rudra Abhishekam”, and “Rudra Homams” were performed at several temples, drawing large numbers of worshippers.

Major temples, including the Sivalayam atop Indrakeeladri, Patha Sivalayam, Challapalli Bungalow Sivalayam, Sri Ramalingeswara Swamy temple at Yanamalakuduru, Sri Vagdevi Aadhyatmika Kshetram and other places witnessed heavy footfall throughout the day.

The celebrations began with devotees taking a holy dip in the Krishna river. Bathing ghats, particularly Durga Ghat, were packed with devotees who arrived before the dawn to perform sacred rituals. Jamgama Devaras offered blessings to devotees at the ghats. Temples were adorned with decorative “thoranams” and “mandapams”, while flex boards depicting Lord Siva and Goddess Parvati were installed at several locations. Temple authorities made elaborate arrangements to ensure smooth darshan and crowd management.

At the Kanaka Durga Temple, priests of Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy conducted special abhishekams during the day, followed by the Lingodbhava Kala Abhishekam at night and the ceremonial Siva-Parvati Kalyanam. In keeping with tradition, descendants of the Siva Bhakta Markandeya lineage presented handloom robes, bangles, and flowers to the presiding deities, carrying the offerings in bamboo plates.

At Yanamalakuduru, thousands queued from early hours for darshan at Sri Ramalingeswara Swamy temple. Police diverted traffic to manage the crowds. The Prabha Mahotsavam at the temple emerged as a major highlight, offering devotees a spectacular and spiritually uplifting experience that has remained a cherished feature of the celebrations for years.