VIJAYAWADA: The devotee turnout surged on the third day of the Dasara festivities at the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam (SDMSD) atop Indrakeeladri, where the presiding deity, Goddess Kanaka Durga, was dressed as Sri Annapurna Devi on Saturday. The temple opened its doors to devotees around 6 am after priests performed traditional rituals for the Goddess in the sanctum.
From the early hours, many devotees queued at the Lord Vinayaka temple near Canal Road. In her Annapurna Devi attire, Goddess Durga held a feeding bowl and a spatula, symbolising her role as the provider of food, with Lord Shiva at her doorstep urging her for nourishment. Temple head priest Shankar Shandilya explained that this form of the Goddess blesses devotees with prosperity.
According to temple officials, 50,000 pilgrims had darshanam of Kanaka Durga from 6 am to 5 pm, generating a revenue of Rs 45.5 lakh through ticket sales, laddu prasadams, Kumkumarchana, calendars, and hundi donations. The officials anticipated an increase in devotees, especially after 8 pm. Temple executive officer (EO) KS Rama Rao noted that arrangements were made, including additional counters for laddu prasadam and the provision of free food to 14,000 devotees w that day.
NTR District Collector G Srijana and Commissioner of Police (CP) SV Rajashekhar Babu inspected the queue lines, ensuring VIPs were allowed access only during designated time slots to minimise public inconvenience.
On the fourth day, the Alankaram will feature Sri Lalitha Tripura Sundari Devi, depicted as a beautiful figure embodying peace and knowledge, surrounded by goddesses Sri Lakshmi and Sri Saraswati.