VIJAYAWADA: A large number of Bhavani devotees thronged the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamyvarla Devasthanam (SDMSD) atop Indrakeeladri on Sunday to worship Goddess Kanaka Durga, who appeared in the Sri Durga Devi Alankaram on the eighth day of the ongoing Navaratri festivities.
With the number of devotees increasing since morning, particularly with a large influx of Bhavani devotees from North Andhra, the temple premises reverberated with chants of the Goddess’ name. Temple authorities and NTR district officials intensified arrangements to ensure smooth darshan, crowd management and the safety of devotees.
Drinking water, buttermilk and milk were distributed to devotees, while arrangements were made for Annadanam, free cloakroom facility and other basic amenities. Special arrangements were also made for continuous distribution of prasadam and Deeksha Viramana for Bhavani devotees near the lower portion of the Maha Mandapam. Devotees expressed satisfaction with the facilities provided by SDMSD.
NTR District Collector G Lakshmisha, temple Executive Officer VK Seena Naik, temple Trust Board Chairman Borra Radhakrishna, Police Commissioner SV Rajasekhar Babu and Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) Commissioner HM Dhyana Chandra coordinated the arrangements. Police personnel monitored the movement of devotees, while CCTV cameras and the command control system were used to oversee crowd movement and respond to emergencies.
Meanwhile, State Housing Minister Kolusu Parthasarathy visited the temple along with his family, and offered prayers to the Goddess. Temple officials performed special rituals.
He prayed for the well-being, prosperity, good health and happiness of people across the State and wished Andhra Pradesh progress in all sectors. He appreciated the coordinated efforts of temple authorities and the district administration in ensuring hassle-free darshan for devotees.
As part of the Durga Ashtami celebrations, a grand Veda Vidwat Sabha was organised at the Maha Mandapam. State Endowments Secretary K Kannababu attended as the chief guest, and highlighted the importance of the Vedas and Upanishads in Sanatana Dharma. He described them as the foundations of Indian culture and spiritual life and praised Vedic scholars for preserving the ancient oral tradition across generations.
Temple Chairman Radhakrishna and Executive Officer Seena Naik also highlighted the importance of Vedic preservation. Around 450 Vedic scholars, including Ghanapathis and Kramapathis from various regions, were honoured with shawls, prasadam and mementoes following the recitation of the four Vedas.
Meanwhile, the Durga temple sold a total of 3,30,586 laddus till 6.30 pm on Sunday.
The sales included 49,858 six-laddu boxes, 7,182 three-laddu boxes and 9,892 individual laddus.
