VIJAYAWADA: Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam (SDMSD) authorities have begun elaborate arrangements for a grand celebration of the 10-day Dasara festival to begin from September 26 atop Indrakeeladri.
An executive officer (EO) Darbamulla Bramarambha said arrangement works such as laying queue lines from Canal road stretch and temporary shelter works began on Thursday.
Addressing media persons, the EO said the trial run of allowing VIP devotees and other guests through Mallikarjuna Maha Mandapam will be conducted on Friday. District Collector S Dilli Rao will inspect the proceedings personally. She said that the temple authorities will spend ` crore on the festivities.
Bramarambha further said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will visit the temple on the auspicious Moolanakshatram and offer traditional clothes to the presiding deity decorated in the avatar of Saraswati Devi. “We are contemplating alternate routes for the public and VIPs and other guests. A trial run on Mallikarjuna Mahamandapam will be conducted on Friday where the officials will finalise the route,” she said.
Deputy Chief Minister and Endowments Minister Kottu Satyanarayana had proposed alternate routes for VIPs. During the coordination meeting held recently, the deputy CM opined that alternate routes for VIPs will reduce the burden on the common public. He also instructed the officials to increase the queue lines from three to five.
In addition, the EO Bramarambha said 10 lakh devotees are expected to visit the temple during the festivities. The devotees will be provided sambar rice, jaggery Pongal and curd rice, she said.
“Additional prasadam counters will be set up at various places to reduce devotee rush. We are gearing up to prepare 21 lakh laddu prasadams maintaining the quality on the lines of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) during Dasara festivities,” the EO Bramarambha said.