Mahalakshmi avatar draws massive crowds to Indrakeeladri
In Short
- Arrival of Bhavani devotees adds to rush on seventh day of Dasara festivities
- Around one lakh devotees have darshan; special arrangements made for elderly and differently-abled
Share :
Priests offering Vedic blessings to devotees during the Dasara festival at the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam atop Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada on Saturday; Devotees performing Kumkumarchana; Devotees waiting in queue lines for darshan (Hans photos: Ch Venkata Mastan)
Vijayawada: The arrival of Bhavani devotees, coupled with the darshan of Goddess Sri Kanaka Durga Devi in the Sri Mahalakshmi Devi Alankaram, led to a significant increase in the rush at Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada on Saturday, the seventh day of the Dasara Sarannavaratri festivities. Around one lakh devotees thronged the hill shrine to have darshan of the presiding deity, who is worshipped as the bestower of wealth, prosperity, fortune and happiness.
Queue lines extending from the Vinayaka Temple and Kummaripalem Centre were packed with devotees, with the long queues turning red as large numbers of Bhavani devotees thronged Indrakeeladri. The rush continued to swell, resulting in a waiting time of more than two hours for darshan.
The temple premises reverberated with devotional chants of “Jai Durga Bhavani” and “Jai Jai Mahalakshmi” as devotees arrived in large numbers from different parts of the state and neighbouring regions. Bhavani devotees, in particular, added to the growing influx, creating a spiritually charged atmosphere on the hill.
Devotees offered prayers to Goddess Mahalakshmi, seeking prosperity, good health and happiness for their families, abundant harvests for farmers and success in business. The Goddess is revered not only as the bestower of material wealth but also as the source of courage, wisdom, well-being and auspiciousness.
With the increasing number of devotees, temple authorities and the district administration coordinated arrangements to regulate the queues and provide essential facilities. Officials monitored the movement of devotees to ensure smooth darshan and minimise inconvenience. Volunteers distributed drinking water and buttermilk to devotees waiting in queues.
Helping Hands volunteers continued distributing milk to devotees arriving through the ghat road, a service being provided since the first day of the festivities. Red Cross and National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers assisted devotees, while medical teams provided first aid. Ambulances were kept ready to meet emergencies.
Special battery-operated vehicles were arranged for elderly and differently-abled devotees to facilitate their movement and enable them to have darshan without undue difficulty. Temple Executive Officer VK Seena Naik instructed officials to ensure that special assistance was provided to these devotees.
District collector Dr G Lakshmisha coordinated the services of various departments, while Police Commissioner SV Rajasekhar Babu supervised security, crowd regulation and traffic management. Vijayawada Municipal Corporation Commissioner HM Dhyanachandra oversaw sanitation and the maintenance of the temple surroundings.
Andhra Pradesh High Court judge Justice Yedavalli Lakshmana Rao visited the hill shrine with his family on Saturday and offered prayers to Goddess Kanaka Durga. Temple officials welcomed him, and priests later bestowed Vedic blessings and presented prasadam to the judge and his family. Vijayawada West MLA Yalamanchili Satyanarayana Chowdary (Sujana Chowdary) also visited the temple and performed special pujas to the presiding deity, Goddess Durga Devi.
As part of the Dasara Sarannavaratri festivities, Goddess Sri Kanaka Durga Devi will bless devotees in the Sri Durga Devi Alankaram on Sunday (October 18), on the auspicious occasion of Ashwayuja Suddha Ashtami, also known as Durgashtami or Mahashtami, at the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam atop Indrakeeladri. In this powerful form, the Goddess is worshipped as the vanquisher of the demon Durgamasura and the remover of all miseries. Revered as “Durge Durgati Nashini”, she symbolises divine protection, courage and the triumph of good over evil.
Devotees offer prayers to the Goddess seeking relief from hardships and fears, protection from evil forces and blessings to lead their lives on the path of righteousness.
Durgashtami holds special spiritual significance during the Navaratri celebrations, drawing devotees to the hill shrine to seek the blessings of the divine mother.
