VIJAYAWADA: Around 60,000 devotees had a darshan of Goddess Kanaka Durga who was adorned as ‘Bala Tripura Sundari Devi’ on the second day of the ongoing Dasara festival at Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam on Friday.Devotees made serpentine queues to the temple from early hours after taking a holy dip in Krishna river. The temple authorities made elaborate arrangements for the convenience of the devotees. Students and volunteers of NCC distributed drinking water packets and voluntary organisations arranged medical camps. Helping Hands, a voluntary organisation supplied free milk to around 4,000 devotees including children below five years and senior citizens.
DGP N Sambasiva Rao and Krishna District Collector B Lakshmikantham had a darshan of the Goddess and discussed with devotees about the arrangements in the queue lines. “Special arrangements are being made for the convenience of the devotees as the day temperatures are quite high. Discussions will be held with the government for sanctioning funds to the devasthanam for conducting Dasara as a State festival,” Lakshmikantham said.
Minister for Industries N Amarnath Reddy, MLC Somu Veerraju, BJP leader and former Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and other officials also had a darshan of the goddess. ‘’Seeking the blessings of Goddess Kanaka Durga during Dasara gives me immense happiness. I came to invite Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for ‘Alay-Bhalay’ (Meet and Greet programme) to be held at Hyderabad after Dasara,” said Dattatreya. Temple executive officer A Surya Kumari said that the temple has been operating free buses for the convenience of the physically challenged and senior citizens.
Goddess Kanakadurga to be adorned as ‘Gayatri Devi’
On the third day, the presiding deity Kanaka Durga will be adorned as Sri Gayatri Devi. In this get-up, the Goddess with her magical powers is seated on a lotus with ‘panchamukhi’ representing the pancha pranas -- prana, apana,vyana, udana, and samana; 5 principles or elements (pancha tatvas) earth, water, air, fire, sky (prithvi, jala, vayu, teja, aakasha). She glows in five colours-mukta (pearl), vidruma (coral), hema (gold) neela (blue), dhavala (White) and has ‘asht bhuji’, eight shoulders.