Simhachalam temple witnessed chaotic scenes during the annual Chandanotsavam festival on Sunday, as large crowds thronged the temple for Nijarupa Dharshanam. The lack of proper arrangements by the authorities led to severe inconvenience for the devotees, who had to wait in queues for hours under the hot sun to have darshan of Lord Varaha Lakshmi Nrusimha Swamy. One of the major issues that have been reported is the lack of proper facilities for devotees waiting in the queue lines. Devotees who opted for the free darshan, as well as those who paid Rs 300 and Rs 1000, are made to stand outside in the hot sun without any tents or blankets for hours. Additionally, the temple's authorities have failed to follow the slot timings mentioned on Rs 1000 and Rs 1500 tickets, leading to long delays and frustration among devotees.

Another serious issue is the lack of basic facilities, such as drinking water and proper toilet facilities. Many devotees have reported that they were not able to access drinking water. The lack of proper management has led to several incidents of distress among devotees, including a snake falling on a devotee in the queue line waiting outside the temple. Many devotees have also reported long delays in moving the queue forward, leading to arguments with the police and temple officials.

According to the devotees, the temple officials gave top priority to over 10,000 VIPs, severely inconveniencing the common devotees, who had to wait for hours to get a glimpse of the deity. Several VIPs were reportedly present at the festival, causing delays and mess-ups in the normal arrangements. The temple officials were accused of giving priority to VIPs and their own friends and relatives, leaving ordinary people waiting in long lines without proper facilities. Local devotees, who attend the festival every year, said that the police, endowment, revenue, and other department officials had learned nothing from the past and again caused trouble for them, including many senior citizens.

The lack of coordination between the various departments further added to the chaos, with devotees frequently arguing with the police about the hours-long delay in moving the queue forward. Furthermore, there were no facilities for children, with officials failing to arrange space for breastfeeding centres. The situation often went out of control as normal schedules went haywire, causing severe traffic congestion in Simhachalam. Although over 2,000 police personnel were deployed for security and traffic arrangements, the situation frequently went out of control.

 Several devotees took to social media to express their anger and disappointment. Swami Swaroopanandenrda Maha Swamy of Sarada Peetam criticised the officials, calling it the worst-ever festival in the history of Simhachalam. Devotees standing in line also had heated arguments with Endowment Minister Kottu Satyanarayana regarding the delay and facilities.