ONGOLE: Bhairavakona, a monument protected by the Archaeological Survey of India in Prakasam district, has been decked out for the Karthika Pournami festival falling on November 14.
The supermoon will look larger and brighter on Monday as it is for the first time that the earth's natural satellite is going to come this close since 1948.
Thousands of devotees will throng the ancient rock-cut temple on the full moon day to view the grand spectacle of the supermoon's reflection falling on Trimukhadurga, said temple official Venkata Narasaraju.
''We are hoping that the sky is not overcast tomorrow,” said Mr. Narasaraju who was busy making arrangements for the mega religious festival which coincides with Karthika Somavaram (Monday) considered special for Lord Siva.
The temple, an architectural marvel, has regained its pre-eminence with the temple authorities in Prakasam district altering the concrete structure in front of the shrine of the mother goddess to enable devotees to view the event.
As water from the natural spring gets collected in the wide pit before the shrine, moonlight reflected from it falls on the forehead of the idol of the goddess resembling an attractive jewel on the Karthika Pournami day, he explained.
Pilgrims from different parts of Prakasam, Kadapa and Nellore districts as also from neighbouring Karnataka and Tamil Nadu visit the temple carved by master sculptors on a single rock in circa 700 AD with Lord Siva appearing in eight forms — Shashinaga, Rudra, Visweswara, Nagarikeswara, Bhargeswara, Rameswara, Mallikarjuna and Pakshamalika Linga. The fiery Lord Bhairava is the “Kshetrapalaka'' at Bhairavakona, which is never visited by any crows, said another temple priest G. Venkata Sudhakar.
Overseeing the arrangements for the festival, Pamur circle inspector Rajesh Kumar said pilgrims would be asked to alight at Kothapalli and would be taken by mini buses to the hill temple.
