VIJAYAWADA: More than one lakh devotees visited the Sri Kanaka Durga temple atop Indrakeeladri on Wednesday, the fourth day of the annual Dasara festivities, when the presiding deity was adorned as Sri Lalitha Tripura Sundari Devi.
A total of 1,02,235 devotees had darshan of the goddess by 9 pm. With Moola Nakshatram falling on Friday, the temple authorities and district administration have made elaborate arrangements to manage an expected rush of 2.5 lakh to three lakh devotees.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, accompanied by his family members, will offer silk robes to the presiding deity on behalf of the State government between 4 pm and 4.30 pm on Friday.
NTR District Collector G Lakshmisha, Police Commissioner (CP) SV Rajasekhar Babu and Endowments Commissioner K Ramachandra Mohan reviewed the arrangements at the command control centre near the temple on Thursday.
He said 450 CCTV cameras had been installed to monitor the movement of devotees round the clock through an advanced command control centre. Drinking water, buttermilk, biscuits and annaprasadam have been arranged at holding points and along queue lines.
A special technical team has been deployed to monitor the condition of rocks on the hill to ensure devotees’ safety. The administration, police and temple officials are working in coordination to provide safe and hassle-free darshan, he said.
The CP said around 3,500 police personnel were already on duty, with another 900 deployed for Moola Nakshatram. Hourly bulletins on waiting times and crowd conditions will be issued through the command control room. Digital screens at various locations will display updates, while data analytics will be used to estimate darshan waiting times.
In view of the expected rush, VIP passes, recommendation-based darshan and inter-sanctum darshan have been cancelled. All queue lines will be operated for free darshan, with devotees allowed to have darshan from the Mukhamandapam. The temple authorities have temporarily suspended all vehicle passes, allowing only official vehicles on the hill.
Endowments Commissioner Ramachandra Mohan said the number of devotees visiting the temple had increased compared with last year. Authorities were using technology, including QR-code-based feedback, to address complaints and improve facilities.
Officials appealed to devotees to follow instructions and cooperate with the arrangements, with priority being given to ordinary devotees on the auspicious occasion.