VIJAYAWADA: Devotees visiting Kanaka Durga Temple during Dasara festival will get a new kind of ‘prasadam’. During a recent trust board meeting, temple executive officer, V Koteswaramma, approved the board’s resolution of serving ‘appam’ as ‘prasadam’ to the presiding deity from October 10 onwards.
At present, the devotees are offered ‘pulihora’ as ‘prasadam’. Addressing mediapersons on Thursday, Koteswaramma said around 25,000 devotees per day are expected to have darshan of the presiding deity and the number is likely to increase up to 45,000 per day on weekends.
“It costs around `4 to prepare an ‘appam’, `3 crore will be allotted for this purpose this year,” she said, adding that a special room will be built to prepare the new ‘prasadam’.Talking about the arrangements being made for State festival Dasara, the EO said the temple administration is planning to spend as much as `9 crore. To ensure hassle-free darshan for devotees, five queue lines will be set up from Lord Ganesh Temple, on the Canal Road, to Indrakeeladri.
On October 10, the devotees will be allowed to have darshan of the presiding deity, adorned as Swarna Kavalankruta Durga Devi, from 9 am onwards. On other days, darshan will be allowed between 3 am and 11 pm, she said.
The rush of devotees will reach a crescendo on October 14 (Moola Nakasthram), considered to be the most sacred day during Dasara. Devotees will be allowed darshan from 1 am to 11 pm on this day.
Celestial boat ride (Teppotsavam), procession of deities in River Krishna, will be held on October 18.
“We are also chalking out plans for providing drinking water and medical facilities to the devotees,” Koteswaramma added.
The EO said that free bus services will be provided from the railway station and bus stations to the bathing ghats and the Vinayaka temple, from Ashoka Pillar to Indrakeeladri and from Kummaripalem to Bhavani ghat for the benefit of physically handicapped and aged persons during the festival. The Devasthanam will arrange for ‘annadanam’ at Mallikarjuna Maha Mandalam. Nineteen ‘prasadam’ counters will be set up to cater to the rush.
The counters will be opened at Mallikarjuna Maha Mandapam, bus stand and railway station, and VIP and PHC uphill for the convenience of pilgrims coming from far-off places. Seven counters will also be opened on the ground floor of Mandapam and three each on the third, fourth and fifth floors of the Mandapam.