Unlike in recent past, the devotees thronged the temple in large numbers on the first day of Dasara festival that began on Tuesday. Significant rush was witnessed at the temple, bathing ghats and on canal road.
From morning ever since the temple was thrown open for public at 9.30 a.m., more than 50,000 devotees would have had darshan. The queue lines wore deserted look in the afternoon for about two hours. However, the rush picked up by evening.
The festival began on a grand note at the temple. The priests performed elaborate rituals like snapanabhiskeham etc. On first day, the goddess appeared as Bala Tripurasundari Devi. The temple priests performed snapanabhishekam in the wee hours.
The festival began with controversies. The temple management has not made arrangments for VIP and media vehicles up to 10 a.m. As the VIP vehicle was not available, Vijayawada (West) MLA Velampalli Srinivas and his family boarded the temple bus. Meanwhile, the temple authorities hurriedly arranged a car for the VIPs brining down curtains on the controversy. The MLA and his family City Police Commissioner N. Madhusudhan Reddy went to the temple in VIP vehicle. Media personnel protested for not providing the vehicles, drinking water etc. Public Health officials inspected the kitchen and found that the sanitation was not upto the mark. They suggested the employees to wear gloves for preparing the laddu and packing of pulihora.
The traffic came to a grinding halt at Ashoka temple as the lorries and buses were allowed. Much against the expectation of officials regarding rush, the pilgrims thronged the temple in hundreds. Allowing the heavy vehicles upped the ante.
Grandeur marked commencement of the Navaratri celebrations at LEPL Project Ltd., Ramachandra Nagar and at Lingamaneni Corporate House on the premises of Gayathrinagar Bhakthi Brundam on Tuesday.
In a statement, LEPL Project Ltd. (Operations) General Manager K. Vijay Kumar said in a traditional celebration style, a statue of the Goddess was installed and the rituals were launched amidst change of Vedic mantras. He said the celebrations would continue till October 24
Dasara festivities began on Haailand in the presence of a massive crowd and the opening ceremony was formally launched by its Managing Director Venkateswara Rao Alluri. Inauguration was followed by a fabulous Kerala traditional dance sequence which was performed by 27 artistes from Bharathanjali Performing Art Centre Calicut and led by Saritha Devi, a famous Nandi Award winning dancer from Hyderabad.
GUNTUR : The nine-day Dasara festivities began in the district on a grand note with a large number of devotees thronging temples from the early morning and performing special rituals. All major and small temples have been richly decorated and various devotional programs are being organised to mark the occasion.
The Endowments Department has made arrangements for the devotees to have darsan of Kanaka Durga and other incarnations of the goddess.
All important junctions in Guntur city have got colourful idols of the goddess. The festival is going to be a big attraction in Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple at Mangalagiri, Sri Amareswara Swamy temple at Amaravathi, Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy temple at Pedakakani, Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple at Vaikunthapuram near Tenali and some other prominent temples. Special arrangements have been made for performing `Saraswati Yagam’ on October 20.
Meanwhile, Transstroy India Limited, a leading construction company, has donated a gold covering for the `Punyakoti Vimanam¡¯ to Kanaka Durga temple at Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada.
The Punyakoti Vimanam was donated by a devotee in 1948 and it has since lost its sheen. The gold covering will bring back its resplendence.
