Sun Feb 02 14:22:49 UTC 2025: ## Srikakulam Celebrates Ratha Saptami with Grand Festivities and Emphasis on Safety
**SRIKAKULAM, February 2, 2025** – The three-day Ratha Saptami festival in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, kicked off Sunday with a vibrant display of cultural events, attracting thousands of devotees to the Arasavalli Sri Suryanarayana Swamy temple. The festival, declared a state event this year, featured a plethora of activities including *samuhika namaskarams*, a *sobha yatra*, and, for the first time, helicopter rides offering aerial views of the festivities.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu participated, performing yoga with local MLA Gondu Shankar and advocating for regular exercise. Naidu highlighted the state government’s prioritization of the Arasavalli temple by extending Ratha Saptami to a three-day celebration.
District officials, including Collector Swapnil Dinakar Pundkar and Superintendent of Police K.V. Maheswar Reddy, took a helicopter ride to encourage public participation. The eight-minute ride cost ₹1,800 per person. Other events included rural sports tournaments and cultural performances.
District Collector Pundkar emphasized the district administration’s focus on ensuring a smooth and safe darshan for devotees, highlighting measures such as widened roads, dedicated queue lines, and a robust emergency response system including ambulances and fire fighting equipment. He urged devotees to visit the temple on Monday to avoid overcrowding on the main festival day, Tuesday. The administration is taking precautions to prevent large gatherings in single locations, learning from past incidents at religious events elsewhere in the country.
First Piper 