Over 50,000 devotees throng Indrakeeladri
VIJAYAWADA: The annual nine-day Dasara festivities began on a grand note at the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam (SDMSD) atop Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada on Sunday.
On the first day, more than 50,000 pilgrims had darshan of the presiding deity adorned as Sri Bala Tripura Sundari Devi. The festival began with the temple priests performing traditional rituals like Suprabhatha Seva at 3 am, Snapanabhishekam at 3:30 am, Balabhoga nivedana at 6:30 am and Nityaarchana at 7:30 am. Devotees from various parts of the State were allowed to have darshan of the Goddess from 9 am.
The temple earned a revenue of over Rs 35 lakh in the form of sale of darshanam tickets, laddu prasadams and other services.Payasam (rice kheer) and Gaarelu were offered as naivedyam to the Goddess who was decked up in red, green and yellow sarees.
Described as the divine combination of the wisdom of Goddess Saraswati, magnetic energy of Goddess Mahakali and prosperity, Sri Bala Tripura Sundari Devi is said to be the main Goddess of all in the Sri Yantra. Worshipping her is a vital part of Shakti pooja. On this day, girls between two and ten years of age are treated as a manifestation of Goddess Bala Tripura Sundari Devi, and are offered new clothes and gifts under the ‘Balarchana’ programme.
On day one, Deputy Chief Minister Kottu Satyanarayana (endowments), ministers Pinipe Viswaroop and RK Roja, and AP Planning Board vice-chairman Malladi Vishnu offered prayers to the deity. Further, they instructed officials to ensure pilgrims do not feel any inconvenience during the darshan.They also inspected the queues and interacted with a few devotees. Majority of them complained to the ministers about the delay in darshanam and entry of unauthorised persons into the VIP queue lines.
Deity to bless devotees in Gayatri avatar today
On the second day of Navratri, the deity is adorned as Goddess Gayatri. Considered as Veda Mata, the deity in this form is seated on a lotus with ‘Pancha Mukhi’, representing five pranas (lives)—prana, apana, vyana, udana, and samana—five elements—earth, water, air, fire and sky. She glows in five colours - mukta (pearl), vidruma (coral), hema (gold), neela (blue) and dhavala (white). She is armed with a sword, bow and arrow, and a spear. The temple priests tell that Sri Gayatri Devi and tells protects the one who chants the maha mantra