VIJAYAWADA: Devotees visiting Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam (SDMSD) atop Indrakeeladri can expect an enhanced experience this Dasara, as most works under the temple’s master development plan are likely to be completed before the festival in October.
Executive Officer Ramachandra Mohan said the development works are being executed with a long-term vision.
“The master plan is futuristic, considering increasing devotee demands, culture, and temple traditions. We are ensuring a pleasant visit to the second biggest temple in the State,” EO Ramachandra Mohan said.
Temple engineering officials have expedited works on Indrakeeladri and at the foothill. Permanent elevated queue lines from Kanaka Durga Nagar to Mallikarjuna Mahamandapam, a laddu prasadam kitchen, and the Nithya Annadanam building are in the final stages.
The queue lines are designed to guide devotees directly to the main temple, easing congestion during peak hours and festivals.
“These lines will significantly reduce traffic problems during major events like Dasara,” the Executive Officer Ramachandra Mohan added.
Officials plan to complete the queue lines and Annadanam building within six months. The Rs 12 crore Annadanam building will seat 1,200 devotees and feature a modern kitchen, dining hall, storage rooms and office space.
The prasadam kitchen, taken up at a cost of 27 crore, is expected to become operational by July. Rockfall mitigation works costing Rs 4.26 crore are targeted for completion before the onset of the monsoon.
A tensile shed constructed near Mahamandapam at Rs 1 crore has been completed, while permanent shelters at three other locations are underway. A Navagraha Mandapam, built at a cost of Rs 76.33 lakh, has also been completed.
Former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had laid the foundation stone for the temple’s master development plan during the previous YSRCP regime.
Works resumed with fresh momentum after Endowments Minister Anam Ramnarayana Reddy revised the plans and obtained final approval.
Temple authorities have also proposed additional lifts and escalators, improved landscaping, CCTV cameras in buses, and directed officials to prepare a report for a multilevel parking complex.