On the fifth day of Dasara (Panchami) on Thursday, the presiding deity at the Kanaka Durga temple atop Indrakeeladri was adorned as Sri Lalitha Tripura Sundari Devi as several pilgrims stood in long queues to seek the blessings of the goddess.
However, unlike most days where the temple witnesses a crowd of at least 80,000 pilgrims, Sri Durga Malleswara Swami Varla Devasthanam Executive Officer M.V. Suresh Babu said: “Since today is a busy week day, we anticipate 40,000 to 50,000 devotees to visit the temple. However, we expect the rush to peak to one lakh on Moola Nakshtram day (October 5).”
Meanwhile, TDP leader Devineni Umamaheswara Rao offered his prayers at the temple. He lashed out at the government for alleged mismanagement of the ticketing system at the temple.
“All the queues have come to a standstill regardless the amount of money paid by the devotees. The VIPs are recycling the tickets available to them, thereby misusing the revenue the temple generates through the tickets,” the former Minister said.
