Students made a beeline for Indrakeeladri to participate in ‘Vijayee bhava’ programme organised by Sri Durga Malleswara Swamyvarla Devasthanam here on Sunday. The temple priests performed Saraswathi yagam. The presiding deity was decked up as goddess Saraswati on the occasion.
The temple precincts were jam-packed with students of all age groups. The students’ turnout far exceeded the estimates of the temple authorities. Nearly 55,000 students have turned up from early hours and the rush continued till late in the evening. Close to 40,000 people accompanied the students, taking the total turnout to 95,000. At a point of time, the queue line went up to Om turning and beyond. The temple authorities cancelled antaralaya darshan in view of the heavy rush. Examination fever seemed to have gripped the students if the huge turnout was any indication. The well-timed ritual, with several examinations round the corner, was a big draw, given the overwhelming response it received from the target groups.
The students and their parents began pouring in at the temple hours before the start of the ritual to secure the ‘pens, sacred threads’ etc., which were kept in front of the deity, according to temple Executive Officer Ch. Narsing Rao. The temple authorities distributed pens and photographs of goddess Kanaka Durga to the students who had darshan of the deity.
