The Sangameshwara temple, located on the banks of the Srisailam Reservoir, will remain open during the solar eclipse on Sunday, while most of the temples in the State will be closed.
Aruna Homam will be performed after the eclipse time of 10.13 a.m. to 1.37 p.m. in Kurnool district, said Sanghameswara temple chief priest Telakapalli Raghurama Sarma.
Special puja and archanas will be conducted for the public interested in availing such services during the eclipse, which is a rare occasion, he said here on Saturday.
The temple is located near Muchumarri, at the confluence of the Krishna and Bhavanasi rivers, and will be open for public along with the Srikalahasti temple.
Aruna Homam is performed for the good of the public so that they remain healthy during this pandemic. ‘Kalasarpa dosham’ is believed to be wiped away by performing the Homam, priests said.
Post solar eclipse, he predicted a significant improvement of general health of the public and said that the pandemic is unlikely to cause any lasting economic damage.
Silting of the temple takes place every year during its re-emergence in summer, he said, but this year the quantum of silt was 2.5 feet high - the highest ever since its reappearance in 2003.
The temple was submerged for the first time in 1981 after the construction of the power generation unit at Srisailam.
The temple witnesses large crowds every day, but the Endowment Department or the Tourism Department are yet to put facilities in place for devotees.
A restaurant has been constructed by the Tourism Department, but it has been closed ever since the 2016 Krishna Pushkarams. As a result, devotees find it difficult to spend time at the picturesque location.
The temple was submerged in the backwaters of Srisailam dam on July 20 last year and resurfaced on March 6, but due to COVID-19, devotees were not allowed to visit till June 8.
This year too, the submergence is likely to take place by the third week of July when the reservoir fills partially.
