VIJAYAWADA: About 2.6 lakh devotees had darshan of the Goddess Kanaka Durga adorned as Goddess Saraswati Devi on moola nakshatram day of the ongoing Dasara celebrations atop Indrakeeladri on Saturday.
The number is likely to cross more than three lakh by the end of the day. In order to provide chance of darshan to more people, temple officials have decided to allow devotees till 12 am.
The turnout of devotees was high from early hours of the day and continued well into the night as they continued to wait in queue lines braving the rain, which lashed the city for two to three hours.
Temple officials cancelled antaralaya darshanam and allowed devotees to offer their prayers through mukha mandapam. The officials also cancelled all VIP services and merged the Rs 300 and Rs 100 ticket line to manage the rush.
The temple officials had created two additional holding areas near the Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) and in front of Rajiv Gandhi Park. Devotee movement atop Indrakeeladri and other premises was monitored.
“In order to avoid any untoward incidents such as stampedes and suffocation in the queue lines, we released devotees on compartment basis one after the other. Anticipating the rush, we deployed additional force to control the devotees and manage queue lines,” said officer-in-charge DCP (Crime) D Koteswara Rao.
Addressing the media, executive officer (EO) MV Suresh Babu said they took all necessary steps to tackle the rush and officials were instructed to make proper arrangements such as providing water, annadanam and adequate prasadam.
“When compared to the previous year, the number of devotees on moola nakshatram increased by over 30 per cent and the number is expected to touch more than three lakh,” said Suresh Babu.
As per Hindu mythology, worshipping Goddess Kanaka Durga in Saraswati Devi alankaram will give knowledge and education to the devotees.
Several devotees participated in the special kumkumarchana pooja at Mallikarjuna Maha Mandapam for the well being of their families.
Meanwhile, Endowments Minister Vellampalli Srinivasa Rao presented sacred robes to the goddess on the government’s behalf and paid obeisance for the welfare of the people of the State. Nagari MLA and Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation chairperson RK Roja, Vijayawada MP Kesineni Nani and others visited the temple and offered prayers.
Sri Durga Devi alankaram today
Kanaka Durga, the presiding deity atop Indrakeeladri will be adorned as Sri Durga Devi on ashtami on the eighth day of Navaratri.
The alankaram symbolises the victory of the goddess over evil after killing the demon Durgasura, son of Ruru.
In this attire, she will be seen holding weapons such as the sword, spear, chakra with tiger as her vahana.
She is fierce in her looks and considered as the most powerful goddess, mother of the universe, behind creation, preservation and destruction of the world, said priests