There was a sudden drop in the pilgrim turnout to Kanakadurga temple atop Indrakeeladri on the penultimate of Dasara festivities on Tuesday.
The goddess was adorned as ‘Mahishasura Mardhini Devi' and the temple was kept open from the early hours of the day. The temple was opened with ‘Suprabhata Seva' at 3 a.m., and ‘Balabhoga Nivedana' at 6.30 a.m. However, the crowd was thin from the early hours and there was not much of rush even during evening hours. The queue lines, prasadam counter, and bathing ghats wore a deserted look. Even the VIP queue lines were empty. The devotee turnout rose considerably by evening.
Rajya Sabha member K. Chiranjeevi and his family members visited the temple in the morning. Vijayawada (West) MLA Velampalli Srinivas and others accompanied him. The actor turned politician greeted the devotees who cheered from the queue lines. Mr. Chiranjeevi presented silk robes to the presiding deity. Minister for Agriculture Kanna Lakshminarayana and others were among the prominent people who visited the temple.
The Bhavanis, who were relinquishing deeksha, were seen visiting the temple in wee hours. The Bhavani rush during daytime is considered to be insignificant compared to previous years.
Meanwhile, the district administration and temple officials conducted a trial run of Hamsavahanam in river Krishna. The temple authorities stated that the teppotsavam, celestial boat ride, of goddess Kanaka durga would be conducted at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
Temples across the district are geared up for ‘Vijaya Dasami’ on Wednesday, the most auspicious day of the nine-day Dasara festival. The number of devotees visiting temples in the last few days has already swollen and the festive mood is set to reach its peak. All major temples are virtually bursting at their seams as there has been a heavy rush of devotees.
The famous temples at Amaravathi, Mangalagiri, Pedakakani and others are drawing a huge number of devotees and special prayers are being offered particularly by women.
Special rituals such as ‘Laksha Kunkumarchana’ are being performed in all temples to invoke the blessings of goddess.
The Endowments Department has made arrangements for the devotees to have darsan of Kanaka Durga and other forms of the goddess (Bala Tripura Sundari, Mahishasura Mardhini, Annapoorna, Kali, Raja Rajeswari, Lakshmi, Saraswati and Gayatri).
Discourses
Spiritual discourses and cultural programs are organised in temples and at important junctions. The festive mood is all pervasive and traders are doing brisk business. The markets are bustling with activity.
