District Collector Abhishikt Kishore along with Police Commissioner, Shankabratha Bagchi, GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg and other officials taking part in a review meeting on preparedness of annual Giri Pradakshina of Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy in Simhachalam on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGMENT
The annual Giri Pradakshina of Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy in Simhachalam is scheduled to be held on July 28 and 29 this year.Ahead of the spiritual event, Visakhapatnam District Collector M. Abhishikt Kishore conducted a review meeting with all the departments concerned and directed them to work in close coordination to ensure seamless arrangements for the annual festival, where lakhs of devotees are expected to participate in the 32-km pilgrimage around the Simhachalam hill.Reviewing the preparations at a meeting held at the Collectorate on Wednesday, along with Police Commissioner Shankhabrata Bagchi, GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg, Joint Collector G. Vidyadhari, Simhachalam Devasthanam Executive Officer J. Venkata Rao and officials from various departments, the Collector directed officials to ensure all essential infrastructure is in place well before the event.The Collector said the Giri Pradakshina will commence at 4 p.m. on July 28 after special rituals performed by the hereditary trustee at Tholi Pavancha, even as devotees start the trek from morning.Simhachalam Devasthanam Executive Officer J. Venkata Rao said that the temple administration has accelerated preparations for the event. He said a permanent shed costing ₹50 lakh is being constructed at Tholi Pavancha.Control centreTo facilitate devotees, the administration will establish 50 queue lines and instal 100 iron stands for coconut-breaking rituals, besides keeping additional counters ready depending on the crowd. A dedicated Command and Control Centre will also be set up at Tholi Pavancha to enable real-time coordination among all departments, he said.
