VIJAYAWADA: The three-day annual Shakambari festivities commenced on a grand note at Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam (SDMSD) atop Indrakeeladri on Friday.
The celebrations will continue until July 21, with thousands of devotees from various places thronging the temple on the first day.
During the festival, the presiding deity, Goddess Kanaka Durga, takes the form of Mother Shakambari Devi.
The temple and its surrounding premises, including sub-temples, are decorated with vegetables and fruits, and devotees worship Durga Devi as Shakambari Devi.
Around 7 am, temple head priests performed traditional rituals such as Vigneswara Puja, Punyavachanam, Akhanda Deeparadhana, Ankurarpanam, Vasthu Homam, and Kalasa Sthapana, marking the start of the festivities.
Over 20,000 devotees visited the temple and had darshan of the presiding deity, Kanaka Durga.
The temple will be open from 3 am to 10 pm during the festivities, according to the temple executive officer (EO) KS Rama Rao.
He added that about 2 lakh devotees are expected to visit the temple during the three-day festival.
According to Puranas, Goddess Kanaka Durga defeated a demon named Dhuroorudu, who caused famine.
Her tears, shed upon seeing the people’s suffering, led to an abundance of food grains and vegetables. In her Shakambari avatar, the Goddess donated her organs to Earth to ensure food growth during severe droughts.
Kadabam Prasadam, prepared with the decorated vegetables, was distributed among devotees who visited the temple on Friday.