The three-day Sakambari festival that began on Thursday is a special occasion for transforming the presiding deity goddess Kanaka Durga into Sakambari Devi with fruit, vegetables, green leaves and flowers.
The devotees and traders are donating vegetables and fruits in good quantities. Kanaka Durga temple received more than 11 tonnes of vegetables and fruits for the Sakambari festival this year.
The devotees from several places in the State thronged the temple to offer many kinds of vegetables, including carrots, lady fingers, cabbage and tomatoes. Many varieties of fruits and flowers were also used as ornaments to deck up the deity.
Sri Durga Malleswaraswamivarla Devasthanam management titivated entire premises of temple with vegetables like brinjal, cucumber, Coccinia (dondakaya), lemons, ridge gourd (beerakaya) and other vegetables. A green canopy was spread on the pathway leading to the sanctum sanctorum from the ghat road, giving an entirely new appearance to the temple premises. The pandals, rajagopuram, and mandapams were also decorated with the vegetables.
And, of course, the idol of goddess was also decorated with the vegetables. The priests beautified the idol with vegetables like ridge gourd (beerakaya), coccinia (dondakaya), brinjals, lemons, and carrot. And, not to forget, a garland festooned with green chillies is also a part of many vegetable garlands used on the occasion.
“As there is a mention of Sakambari Devi in Durga Saptasathi and Devi Bhagavatham, it can be organised here,” explained Srinivasa Sastry, temple priest. According to a legend, the goddess defeated Dhuroorudu, a demon responsible for famine. The goddess shed tears on seeing the travails of people, which led to a glut of food grains and vegetables. Since then, devotees have been decorating her with vegetables, he said.
‘Sakambari Utsavam' is being celebrated from 2007 to propitiate the deity for good rains, bountiful harvest and copious yields of vegetables. The ‘Sakambari Utsavam’ is being celebrated to propitiate the presiding deities for good rains, bountiful harvest and copious yields of vegetables and ensure that there was no dearth of irrigation water.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the festival.
