By T. Karnakar Reddy
A sea of devotees thronged the annual Saleshwaram jatara celebrated every year.
The ancient Sri Ramalingeshwara Swamy temple of 6th century AD, located deep inside Nallamala forest in Lingala mandal, is about 1,000 feet deep inside a valley. The annual fete is celebrated every year on Chiatra Pournami.
The eight-day fete commenced on April 18 and will end on April 26.
The influx of devotees reached its peak during the intervening hours of Friday and Sunday since the devotees from across Telangana and neighbouring districts of Andhra Pradesh arrived in huge numbers to offer prayers to the presiding deity on the auspicious day of Chitra Pournami.
Saleshwaram is located 16 km away from Farahabad entrance point.
The drive through the deep forest is sure to remain one of the best memories for visitors since they can see many wild animals like spotted deer, nilgai and wild boar.
The devotees have to walk at least three kilometers to reach the temple located down the valley. It is an arduous walk since there are sharp rocks all along the ground.
The devotees need to walk on narrow gorges of valley to reach down the deep valley where they can see waterfall falling from over 1,000 feet.
The devotes take a holy dip in the water and collect water in the bottles for those who could not make it as it is believed that it contains medicinal value.
Courtesy : The Hindu