All set for annual Chandanotsavam at Simhachalam temple

Visakhapatnam: The annual Chandanotsavam festival at the ancient Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple atop Simhachalam hill is all set to begin from the early hours of Monday. Around two lakh devotees are expected to visit the temple for the much-awaited ‘nijarupa darshan' of the presiding deity.The temple management released 38,000 tickets for the festival, with about 70% of tickets put online and 30% tickets sold offline. About 20,000 tickets of Rs 300 denomination, 16,000 tickets of Rs 1,000 denomination, and 2,000 tickets of Rs 1500 denomination have been printed with QR code to check duplicate tickets. Temple executive officer, Jallepalli Venkata Rao, said private vehicles will not be allowed on Simhachalam hill from Sunday. The temple will distribute 1.4 lakh laddus as free prasadam while 1.5 lakh laddus would be put on sale.Goa governor and temple's hereditary trustee Pusapati Ashok Gajapati Raju will offer silk clothes to the presiding deity in the early hours of Monday. After first darshan by the Vizianagaram royal family, ministers and other VVIPs would be allowed inside.Police have imposed traffic restrictions on some stretches from 5 pm on Sunday till 5 am on Tuesday for the festival. Heavy vehicles from Sontyam side will not be allowed towards Adavivaram. Goods vehicles from Hanumanthawaka towards Pendurthi and Gopalapatnam will need to take alternative routes via Anandapuram, NAD, and Maddilapalem. Only vehicles carrying valid passes will be permitted from the New Toll Gate to the hilltop. Separate parking arrangements have been made for authorized four-wheelers and two-wheelers on the hill road.Parking spaces have been arranged at Adavivaram Junction, Old Gosala, Simhapuri Colony, Srinivasa Nagar, and New Gosala for devotees arriving without vehicle passes. Special buses arranged by the temple authorities will transport the devotees from these locations to the temple. APSRTC will run around 400 special buses to ferry devotees from the early hours of Monday till Tuesday morning.