Goddess Kanaka Durga adorned with vegetables, fruits as Sakambari Utsavams begin in Vijayawada
The Sakambari Utsavams began with religious fervour at the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam atop Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada on Monday (July 27, 2026). The
The Sakambari Utsavams began with religious fervour at the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam atop Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada on Monday (July 27, 2026). The temple hill wore a verdant look as it was decorated to reflect the Goddess’s harita (green) form, symbolising nature’s abundance. The festival is a special occasion for transforming the presiding deity goddess Kanaka Durga into Sakambari Devi with fruit, vegetables, green leaves and flowers. The Devadthanam has been organising the festival since 2007 to propitiate the presiding deity for good rains, bountiful harvests, and copious yields of vegetables, and to ensure that there is no dearth of irrigation water.
The priests adorned the idol of Goddess Kanaka Durga with all types of vegetables, including ridge gourd, coccinia, brinjals, lemons, and carrots on the occasion. The entire temple premises have also been decorated with vegetable garlands featuring green chillies. Bottle gourds were arranged on either side of the Goddess, while a garland of drumsticks was draped around her waist as part of the traditional adornment. The processional deities were also decorated with an assortment of vegetables, leafy greens, and fruits.
Vegetable traders and devotees donated several tonnes of produce for the festival, which, now in its 19th year, will conclude on July 29. Temple Executive Officer V.K. Seena Naik said devotees would be able to have darshan during the usual temple timings throughout the festival, with no changes to the schedule. Despite the adverse impact of El Niño, which reduced the availability of vegetables due to deficient rainfall, the temple authorities procured around 32 tonnes of vegetables and leafy greens through special teams that collected donations from farmers and traders across different regions.
An additional four tonnes of fruits, donated by traders from the Vijayawada Kedareswarapeta Wholesale Fruit Market, were also brought to the temple. Naik said the temple administration had ensured that the vegetables and fruits donated by farmers would be utilised judiciously during the decorations.
The BriefWire