For all those hoping that the Temple will have a special New Year Darshan for devotees will be disappointed in not just Visakhapatnam but Andhra Pradesh.

A circular has been released by endowments department of Andhra Pradesh that New Year Special Darshan and decorations are banned in every temple in effect from 2018. Visakhapatnam devotees many of whom have been starting their New Year with a pious visit to the Temple and being blessed with the special darshan will have their hopes dashed.

The why behind it is that New Year is Ugadi, not New Year’s eve as celebrated by western countries or the world per se. Temples should be ideally the ones to replace the English calendar as per the endowment officials. Hindu Dharma Prachara Trust of the endowments departments feel that celebrating start of the year is a remnant of the Georgian Calendar from the British era. It is about time to put a stop to it in Andhra Pradesh,Visakhapatnam, Vijaywada and others will now discontinue the celebrations practice.

Now New Year celebrations will take place in the Temple according to the Hindu calender and Ugadi will have special darshans for all those devoted. Laks have been spent on the previous practice and since it is not part of hindu culture but a western one, a stop has been called for.

Source – The Deccan Chronicle.