On January 25, 2026, India's famous Sun God temple at Arasavilli in Srikakulam district saw an unprecedented crowd of devotees. They came early to have darshan of Sri Surynarayana Swamy on Ratha Saptami festival day. Lines stretched long for all types of darshan – 'sarva darshan', ticket holders, and donors. Some devotees stayed overnight from January 24 but faced jostling and near-stampede conditions. Luckily, no major accidents occurred. To keep things safe, police allowed pilgrims into queues in a staggered manner. Collector Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar, Superintendent of Police K.V. Maheswar Reddy, and other officials worked to calm protestors. Many complained of being disrespected despite holding valid tickets. Mr. Pundkar asked local people to come in the afternoon because of the heavy rush. He said, “Every devotee would get an opportunity in spite of the heavy rush, as a staggered approach was implemented to ensure hassle-free darshan with adequate safety measures.” Mr. Maheswar Reddy asked ticket holders of ₹500 and ₹100 categories, and donors to wait patiently until others completed darshan. Early in the morning, Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Agriculture Minister K. Atchannaidu, and Srikakulam MLA Gondu Shankar offered pattuvastrams and took part in Ksheerabhisekham around 12:15 a.m. Ministers for MSME, Kondapalli Srinivas, and Home, Vangalapudi Anitha, among other VIPs, also had early darshan. Later, devotees enjoyed 'Nijarupa darshan' of the presiding deity, believed to bless them with health and wealth.