Srikalahasti shrine in Andhra Pradesh remains open during solar eclipse
The Hindu
TIRUPATI
While every temple remains closed during the solar/lunar eclipse period and reopens after the mandatory purificatory rituals, it is only the temple dedicated to Srikalahastheeswara Swamy in Srikalahasti town that remains open throughout the day.
The temple remained open on Tuesday, when solar eclipse was observed, and the surge of devotees appeared unending. It is in this shrine that ‘Rahu and Ketu’ are tamed and kept under leash by Lord Siva.
The widespread belief is supported by the ‘Rahu Ketu Puja’ performed in this temple everyday, in which hundreds of devotees participate to undo the evil effects in their astrological signs, which they believe are caused by the two serpents.
When the temples in and around Tirupati remained closed from 8 a.m. on Thursday, the famous Saivite temple in Srikalahasti remained open.
Meanwhile, Minister for Mines, Environment and Forest Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy visited the temple to participate in the ‘Grahanakala Abhishekam’, a special celestial bath performed during the eclipse time. Local legislator Biyyapu Madhusudhan Reddy and temple officials escorted the Minister’s family to the sanctum sanctorum and offered ‘prasadam’ later.
In 2021, five women from Mayithara, four of them MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) workers, found a common ground in their desire to create a sustainable livelihood by growing vegetables. Rajamma M., Mary Varkey, Valsala L., Elisho S., and Praseeda Sumesh, aged between 70 and 39, pooled their savings, rented a piece of land and began their collective vegetable farming journey under the Deepam Krishi group.