Ashadha festivities draw huge crowds to Kanaka Durga temple
Scores of devotees, mostly women dressed in traditional orange and red sarees, thronged the Kanaka Durga Temple atop Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada on Friday to mark
Scores of devotees, mostly women dressed in traditional orange and red sarees, thronged the Kanaka Durga Temple atop Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada on Friday to mark the auspicious Ashadha month. The temple reverberated with devotional fervour as devotees waited patiently in metal queue complexes and climbed the decorated staircases leading to the sanctum. Women carried decorated brass and clay pots on their heads containing cooked rice, jaggery, fruits, flowers and neem leaves as offerings to the Goddess, praying for the health, prosperity and well-being of their families.
To facilitate the movement of devotees, the temple authorities suspended Antaralaya Darshanam from 10.30 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. and cancelled the VIP break darshan during the same period, enabling more devotees to have darshan with minimal delay. The temple administration, in coordination with the police, put in place elaborate crowd management measures to handle the heavy footfall. Temple volunteers monitored the queue lines and distributed drinking water from mobile backpacks to devotees waiting in long queues.
Special counters were set up to receive and record the thousands of silk sarees offered to the presiding deity. The administration also arranged for free distribution of prasadam and ensured uninterrupted serving of annaprasadam at the temple dining hall. Community kitchens remained operational throughout the day, serving hot meals to thousands of pilgrims. The temple precincts wore a festive look with devotional music, chants and colourful religious observances. Women, adorned with vermilion and turmeric, carried trays containing flowers, fruits, sweets and lighted brass lamps towards the sanctum.
Temple officials said the celebrations passed off peacefully despite the heavy rush of devotees, attributing the smooth conduct to coordinated efforts by the police, temple staff and volunteers.
The BriefWire