Nagalapuram Temple Surya Puja

Nagalapuram Temple Surya Puja Date, Timings and History

Sri Vedanarayana Swamy temple in Nagalapuram is 70 km far from Tirupati on the Chennai highway. This ancient temple is famous for the annual ‘Surya Puja’ Mahotsavam, which will be held from March 24th to 28th every year.

Nagalapuram Temple Surya Puja

The festival attracts thousands of devotees from all over the State of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The unique feature of the festival is the falling of the sun’s rays on the presiding deity of Lord Sri Vedanarayana situated inside the sanctum sanctorum only on these three days which is March 26th, 27th and 28th.

Sunrays Travelling a distance of 360 feet from the temple tower, the rays of the setting sun slowly enter the main threshold and further into the ‘Garbagriha’ and stops at the deity’s feet, navel and crown on the first, second and third day respectively. As it occurs never again in other parts of the year, it is considered an astronomical marvel.

The event is also viewed as a form of the Sun paying obeisance to the Lord and hence is called ‘Surya Puja’.

Nagalapuram Temple Surya Puja Festival details

The T.T.D management conducts five-day event, performing‘Snapana Tirumanjanam’ (celestial bath) to the deities of Sri Vedanarayana and His consort Vedavalli every day in the morning. And  After the ‘Surya Puja’, a procession will be taking part in the streets of the village (Tiruveedhi Utsavam) in the evening.

The deity will be adorned as Rama and taken on a procession on the first day, on ‘Muthyapu Pandiri Vahanam’ on the second day and ‘Sesha Vahanam’ on the third day.

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