At the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple in Simhachalam, Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam, a wall next to a line of people fell on the worshippers in the early hours of Wednesday, killing at least seven people and injuring four more, according to officials. An eighth victim of the wall fall was discovered alive and is presently in the hospital, fighting for their life.
During the annual Chandanotsavam festival, devotees were lining up for the deity’s “Nijaroopa” darshan at around 2:30 am when the tragedy occurred. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and local authorities immediately began rescue and relief efforts after the collapse.
Vangalapudi Anitha, the state home minister, hurried to the scene of the tragedy shortly after. According to early reports, the freshly constructed temple wall was drenched with water from the intense rain that fell the night before, she informed reporters, adding that the wall collapsed as a result of pressure from the devotees. “They were standing in the queue line for special darshan after paying ₹300 per ticket. The wall is adjacent to a shopping complex on the way from Simhagiri Bus Stand—suddenly gave way and collapsed due to loosening of soil because of heavy rains in the area,” she said.
In addition to Anitha, Commissioner of Police Shankha Brata Bagchi and Harendhira Prasad, the district collector for Visakhapatnam, also came to the temple to supervise the rescue operations. According to Prasad, three women were among the victims; their identities were not yet known. “The bodies of the victims and injured were shifted to King George Hospital, Visakkhapatnam,” he added.
Chandrababu Naidu, the chief minister, condoled the deceased and expressed sorrow over the tragedy. Additionally, he declared that the relatives of the slain would receive ₹25 lakh, while the injured would receive ₹3 lakh each. The chief minister has also formed a three-member official committee to probe the wall collapse incident.
In addition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished the injured people a speedy recovery and sent his sympathies to the relatives of the deceased. “Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to the collapse of a wall in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon,” the PM said.
Additionally, he declared that the relatives of the deceased would get ₹2 lakh apiece as an ex gratia from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF). Each of the injured would receive ₹50,000 as an ex gratia.
The deity Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy is presented to devotees in his actual form (Nijaroopa) during the Chandanotsavam festival each year. This is in contrast to the sandalwood paste that is normally applied on the idol all year long. For the unique spectacle, thousands of devotees had already flocked to Simhachalam.
At one in the morning, a Suprabhata Seva was used to ceremoniously awaken the deity. After that, special silver scrapers were used to delicately remove the sandalwood paste from the idol. Following their observation of the deity’s Nijaroopa Darshanam, devotees participated in special Abhishekam rites.
Hereditary temple trustee Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju and his family received the first sight of the deity and were honored to offer the first sandalwood paste in accordance with the Vedic rites. Later, on behalf of the state government, Minister of Revenue Anagani Satya Prasad gave the goddess traditional silk robes.
