Simhachalam Gears Up for Chandanotsavam with Extensive Arrangements
District Collector M.N. Harendhira Prasad on Tuesday said elaborate arrangements are being made for the smooth conduct of the annual ‘Chandanotsavam’ of Lord Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy at Simhachalam, scheduled for April 20.
Reviewing preparations at a meeting held at the Collectorate with the in-charge Minister, Dola Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy, local MLAs, and officials from various departments, the Collector said that lessons from previous years have been taken into account and precautionary measures are being put in place to avoid inconvenience to devotees.
Mr. Prasad said separate queue lines are being organised for free darshan and for ticketed categories priced at ₹300, ₹1,000, and ₹1,500. The rituals will commence at 1 a.m. with Suprabhata Seva, followed by darshan of the main deity beginning at 3 a.m.
The State government will present silk offerings to the deity, followed by offerings from the TTD between 3.30 a.m. and 4 a.m. The first VIP darshan slot is scheduled from 4.15 a.m. to 4.30 a.m., while darshan for other devotees will begin at 4 a.m. Devotees holding ₹1,500 tickets will be allowed darshan from the Bhogamandapam. There will be no Antaralaya darshan on the festival day.
General darshan will be halted at 6 p.m. on April 19 and will resume from 3 a.m. to 7 p.m. on April 20. “All devotees entering the queue before 7 p.m. will be allowed to complete their darshan, irrespective of the time taken,” the Collector said.
Officials said adequate queues and holding areas are being established at multiple locations. Shamianas are being set up to protect devotees from heat, and roads are being coated with white paint to reduce surface temperature.
To streamline ticketing, barcodes and holograms are being introduced. APSRTC will operate 50 buses for general devotees and 30 special mini-buses for ₹1,000 and ₹1,500 ticket holders.
MLAs suggested that ticket sale schedules, centres, and online booking details be announced in advance. They also stressed the need for QR code-based systems, proper slot allocation, and strict scanning to prevent duplication. Referring to last year’s incident, they urged officials to be prepared for sudden rains and strong winds.
Police Commissioner Shankhabrata Bagchi called for enhanced security measures, including CCTV surveillance, vigilance against pickpockets, and child-tagging systems to prevent children from going missing. He also suggested keeping NDRF and SDRF teams on standby, along with the deployment of heavy equipment such as JCBs and cranes for emergencies.
Simhachalam Devasthanam Executive Officer J. Venkata Rao, DCP Mary Prasanthi, Joint Collector G. Vidyadhari, and other officials were present.