The annual Sri Kanaka Durgamma “Sidi” was celebrated here on Tuesday. Thousands of devotees from Ballari city and surrounding places, including neighbouring districts of Anantapur and Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh, witnessed the annual ritual where an idol, symbolising evil, is hanged to a pole tied to a cart pulled by three pairs of oxen, and is taken round the temple thrice. Right from the morning, thousands of devotees thronged the ancient temple to have a darshan of Sri Kanaka Durgamma, the principal deity of Ballari. The goddess was colourfully decorated with gold and silver ornaments and flowers.
Keeping in view the heavy rush and also to facilitate the performance of the ritual, the police had diverted the movement of vehicular traffic around the temple.
