Festival rush peaks at Durga temple

On the occasion of ‘Moola nakshtram’ day, devotees throng Indrakeeladri

Devotees waiting in long queues atop Indrakeeladri on Saturday.

As the 10-day Dasara festivities entered the seventh day -- the day of Moola nakshatram -- on Saturday devotees in large numbers were seen standing in queues from the previous night itself to seek the blessings of the presiding deity atop Indrakeeladri.

On the seventh day of the festival (Saptami), queue lines were seen from Vinayaka temple on the canal road to the shrine atop the hill. On the day of the Moola Nakshtram, the presiding deity, Sri Kanaka Durga, was adorned as Sri Saraswati Devi and the devotees consider it as the most auspicious day of the festival.

The temple was open to the pilgrims from 2 a.m. itself.

Laddu prasadam

“At 6 p.m., close to 2.6 lakh devotees came to the temple and 1.25 lakh

laddu prasadam were given to them,” said Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam Executive Officer M.V. Suresh Babu.

Mr. Babu said that Penamuluru MLA Kolusu Parthasarathy offered

pattu vastralu to the goddess on behalf of the government.

“As Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was not present in the State, the MLA carried out the tradition. However, the Chief Minister visited the temple on Friday and personally offered pattu vastralu to the goddess,” he added.