Dasara festivities begin atop Indrakeeladri

Kanaka Durga temple is illuminated colourfully for the Dasara festival, in Vijayawada.
| Photo Credit: K.V.S. Giri

Dasara festivities began on a grand note at the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamyvarla Devasthanam here on Thursday (October 3, 2024).

Goddess Kanaka Durga, the presiding deity of the temple located atop Indrakeeladri, was adorned and worshipped as ‘Sri Bala Tripura Sundari Devi’ on the first day of the festival.

The festivities began with the priests performing rituals such as ‘Suprabhata Seva’ at 3 a.m., ‘Snapanabhishekam’ at 3.30 a.m., ‘Balabhoga nivedana’ at 6.30 a.m. and ‘nitya archana’ at 7.30 a.m. The temple was thrown open for darshan at around 9 a.m.

Devotees from across Andhra Pradesh and the neighbouring States reached the temple at around 5 a.m. and waited in long queues after taking a holy dip in the Krishna at the Durga and other ghats.

The rush was moderate during the initial hours. 

Mumbai-based  businessman Saurabh Gaur donated  a golden crown worth ₹2.5 crores to goddess Kanaka Durga.

 The devotees waiting for their  turn to have glimpse of goddess Kanaka Durga, who was decorated as Sri Bala Tripura Sundari Devi. The queue lines were thin during the initial hours. The devotees rush increased by noon.

The temple priests took out  processional deities on a palanquin atop  Indrakeeladri. 

The  Devasthanam authorities have made arrangements for the differently-abled devotees visiting the temple.