Hundreds of devotees in red robes descended on the city from far off places to relinquish the ‘Bhavani Deeksha’ observed by them for either 21 days or 41 days. Sea of red Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam atop Indrakeeladri as well as the surroundings downhill turned into a sea of red with the devotees of all age groups thronging every available space.
Temple authorities estimated that 10,000 to 12,000 Bhavanis would have visited the temple on Tuesday. The rush was said to be encouraging if the Tuesday sentiment was taken into consideration.
The devotees generally do not prefer to relinquish their deeksha on Tuesdays and Fridays.
In all, 60,000 laddus were sold by 6 p.m. and it was expected that the sale would touch 1 lakh by the time temple closes by night.
The pilgrims began reaching the city from the early hours of the day by tourist buses, lorries, and cars. The stretch of the highway from Bhavanipuram to Krishnalanka turned into a temporary shelter for the thousands of pilgrims.
The devotees, after taking a holy dip in the Krishna, made a beeline for the temple from the early hours to have darshan. Free food The temple authorities started serving sumptuous meal at the temple. Under the scheme, the temple offers free food to 5,000 devotees a day.
The ‘Bhavani Deeskha Viramana’ is the second biggest annual event at the temple after Dasara.
