VIJAYAWADA: The five-day Bhavani Deeksha Viramana (relinquishment) process which began on December 25 concluded on a grand note at Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam (SDMSD) atop Indrakeeladri here on Wednesday.
Temple Sthanacharya Vishnubhotla Siva Prasada Sharma monitored the conduct of Purnahuti at yagasala near Sivalayam Temple around 11 am which marked the conclusion of Bhavani Deeksha relinquishment. Temple trust board chairman Paila Sominaidu and other members were present during the ritual.
Addressing the media after the ritual, temple executive officer Darbamulla Brahmarambha appreciated the efforts of the police, Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC), fire, revenue and medical departments for making the Viramana process a huge success without reporting a single untoward incident.
She said around three lakh Bhavani devotees relinquished the deeksha during the five days while another 50,000 devotees are expected to visit the temple on Thursday and Friday. The EO informed that the temple received an income of around Rs 2.1 crore through the sale of Laddu prasadam, darshanam tickets, keshakandana tickets, publications and other services.
“We expected that five lakh Bhavani devotees would turn up for the relinquishment process, but the actual figure seems to be less,” EO Brahmarambha said. She also reiterated that the temple administration has made elaborate arrangements at both the Ghat road and Mallikarjuna Mahamandapam for the deeksha viramana in strict adherence with Covid-19 norms.
“In the wake of the increasing cases of the Omicron variant, we arranged special teams to ensure everyone entering the temple premises followed safety protocols prescribed by the National Health Department,” she added.
Later in the evening, temple authorities shifted all the offering boxes (hundi) under the supervision of the Special Police Force (SPF). The counting of donations will be conducted after Sankranti, temple officials told.
Temple receives Rs 2.1 crore income
The EO informed that the temple received an income of around Rs 2.1 crore through the sale of Laddu prasadam, darshanam tickets, keshakandana tickets, publications and other services. Temple authorities shifted all the offering boxes under the supervision of Special Police Force. The counting of donations will be conducted after Sankranti, temple officials told.