VIJAYAWADA: As many as 70,000 devotees thronged the Kanaka Durga temple to get a glimpse of the Goddess adorned in the avatar of Lalitha Tripura Sundari Devi on the seventh day of the Dasara festivities, atop Indrakeeladri, on Saturday.
According to Sri Durga Malleswara Varla Devasthanam (SDMSD) temple executive officer (EO) KS Rama Rao, the temple witnessed a huge rush on the auspicious occasion of Ashwayuja Shuddha Saptami from 4 am to 5 pm.
The temple officials said that devotees thronged the queues from Lord Vinayaka temple in Canal road in the wee hours after taking a holy dip in the River Krishna. Soon after the cleansing of the temple and changing the avatar of the Goddess Kanaka Durga, officials allowed the devotees to have darshanam of the deity in Lalitha Tripura Sundari Devi attire.
Anticipating huge rush in the view of Dasara festivities, officials made elaborate arrangements and added an extra queue atop Indrakeeladri from Om turning point. Legend says devotees worshipping the Goddess in the Sri Lalitha Tripura Sundari Devi attire will be blessed with peace, knowledge and wealth. The word Lalitha Tripura Sundari means the most beautiful girl in the three worlds. The Goddess is the second form of ‘Tripura thrayam’ and is the ultimate, primordial Shakti, the light of manifestation, existing prior to Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
The Goddess was seen seated in the lap of Lord Shiva flanked by Goddess Lakshmi Devi and Sri Saraswati Devi holding ‘Vinjamarams’ (fans) in their hands to serve her as described in Lalitha Sahasranama Stotram.
The EO said that Central constituency MLA Malladi Vishnuvardhan, West MLA Velampalli Srinivasa Rao, government special principal secretary Poonam Malakondayya, Endowments commissioner S Satyanarayana, actress Poonam Kaur and others visited the temple and offered special prayers to the presiding deity.Deputy Chief Minister Kottu Satyanarayana, Ponnur MLA Kilaru Rosaiah, and other officials monitored the temple proceedings .
Temple gears up for Sri Durga Devi alankaram
In this attire, the Goddess will be seen holding weapons such as sword, spear, chakra, she makes the tiger as her ‘vaahana’, vehicle, ( sardoola vahini ) and is fierce in Her looks. It symbolises victory over evil. She is called Durga as She killed the demon Durgamudu or Durgasura. She is the first form of Aadi Prakriti Pancha Maha Swaroopas . The meaning of the Durga in Sanskrit is a fort, which is very difficult to reach. Considered as the most powerful Goddess, mother of the universe and power. Vedas mention Durga Devi as the supreme power