61k visit temple on second day of ‘viramana’
VIJAYAWADA: Around 61,000 devotees visited Kanaka Durga Temple atop Indrakeeladri on the second day of the five-day Bhavani Deeksha Viramana on Sunday. The pilgrim turnout was very high especially because it was a holiday. The rush is expected to continue on Monday as people would prefer Monday over January 1 to relinquish their deekshas.
Clad in red robes, devotees from neighbouring districts entered the city. Several of them made Krishnaveni Ghat their temporary shelter and parked their vehicles there. They even started cooking food on the roadside.
Devotees were allowed to have darshan of the presiding deity from 2 am. It took as many as three hours for some devotees to have darshan of the goddess. Some devotees praised the temple authorities for decorating and illuminating the temple, while others said they faced a difficult time reaching it because of lack of medical facilities on the ‘Giri Pradakshina’ route. District Collector B Lakshmikantham inspected the arrangements and expressed his dissatisfaction over the unhygienic conditions at the temporary tonsure hall near Seethamma Vari Padalu Ghat.