Chandanotsavam at Simhachalam temple on January 18

The annual Chandanotsavam of Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy at the Simhachalam temple will be observed on January 18, 2026, temple authorities said on Wednesday.

The festival, held every year during Makar Sankranti period, draws lakhs of devotees from across Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring States. It marks the ceremonial offering and removal of sandalwood paste that covers the deity for most of the year, allowing devotees a special darshan of the idol in its original form.

As part of the celebrations, the presiding deity will be taken out in procession from the temple at 3.30 a.m. and brought to the Chandana Mandapam. The main rituals of the festival will commence at 5 a.m. and will be performed in accordance with traditional practices.

Temple officials said that after the completion of the special prayers and ceremonial proceedings, the deity would be taken back to the temple in a procession.

Anticipating a large turnout on the festival day, the authorities appealed to devotees to cooperate with the staff and follow the arrangements made for crowd management, including regulated entry through queue lines. Darshan will be allowed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on January 18. Officials clarified that darshan will not be permitted after 6 p.m., except for devotees already waiting in the queue lines.

The temple administration said that further details relating to timings, queue arrangements and other instructions would be displayed on the temple notice board and communicated through official channels.