VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu visited Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam (SDMSD) atop Indrakeeladri on Wednesday and offered traditional silk robes on behalf of the State government to Goddess Kanaka Durga.
The Goddess was adorned in the avatar of Sri Saraswati Devi as part of the 10-day Dasara festivities. This annual tradition is observed on Moola Nakshatram, the birth star of Goddess Durga, when the Chief Minister presents silk robes to the presiding deity.
Accompanied by HRD Minister N Lokesh and other family members, Naidu visited the temple around 2 pm and performed special prayers to Goddess Durga.
Upon their arrival, temple executive officer (EO) MV Suresh Babu and the temple priests gave a traditional Poornakumbham welcome to the Chief Minister and his family. The temple priests performed Vedic chants, and the CM, carrying the sacred robes in a silver plate on his head, entered the shrine. After offering prayers to the Goddess, Naidu received blessings from the priests and was honoured with a portrait of the goddess and laddu prasadam.
Temple officials briefed the CM on the recent development works, including repairs and landslide recovery efforts as part of the temple’s master plan. Several leaders, including MP Kesineni Sivanath and MLA Sujana Chowdary, accompanied the CM.
Speaking to mediapersons, Naidu affirmed the government’s commitment to preserving temple traditions. He praised the arrangements made for the Dasara celebrations, noting the large number of devotees attending with devotion and faith. He highlighted that Vijayadashami marks the triumph of good over evil and expressed his prayers for the State’s prosperity in all sectors. He remarked that the Kanaka Durga temple is the second largest in the State, after Tirumala, and emphasised the need to uphold the sanctity of temples.
He said over 6.96 lakh laddus were prepared for distribution, and Anna Prasadam had been served to 1 lakh devotees. Naidu expressed satisfaction with the improved arrangements this year and stated that feedback was being gathered from pilgrims to ensure better experiences. Naidu said that he offered prayers for good rainfall and successful progress of key projects like Amaravati and Polavaram.
5.85L pilgrims visited Durga temple so far
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu appreciated the Kanaka Durga temple trust board members and officers for their efforts, noting that more than 5.85 lakh devotees had visited the temple so far, with 67,936 pilgrims having darshan on that day alone for Dasara