The turnout of devotees continued to be poor on the second day of Sakambari festival here on Thursday.
Durga temple authorities made elaborate arrangements for the three-day festival. Heavy downpour played spoilsport on the first day.
Officials are hopeful that the temple will witness influx of devotees on the last day on Friday.
The temple received donation in cash and in kind for the ongoing festival. Devotees donated two tonnes of vegetables for the first two days.
Authorities of Sri Durga Malleswara Swamyvarla Devasthanam, which manages goddess Kanaka Durga temple, are expecting that the devotees will donate another two tonnes of vegetables.
Compared to last year, the temple could not cover the entire premises with vegetables.
Special occasion
Last year, a green canopy was spread on the pathway leading to the sanctum sanctorum from the ghat road, giving an entirely new appearance to the premises. During the previous years, the temple received vegetables in bulk quantities even before the festival began.
This year, the donations are in small volumes and in spells.
The three-day festival is a special occasion, for the goddess is in the form of Sakambari Devi. The festival is organised to propitiate the deity for good rain, bountiful harvest, and copious yield.
The devasthanam has been organising the festival for the last five years. The presiding deity is decorated with vegetables, green leaves, and flowers. Priests decorate the idol with vegetables such as ridge gourd (beerakaya), coccinia (dondakaya), brinjals, lemons, and carrot. A garland of green chillies is also part of many vegetable garlands used on the occasion.
Bottle gourds are put on either side of the idol while a garland of drumsticks is used as draperies around the waist. Many varieties of fruits and flowers are also used as ornaments.
