Vijayawada: Thesecond day of the Dasara Sarannavaratri celebrations at the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam atop Indrakeeladri was marked with grandeur and devotion on Tuesday, as Goddess Durga Devi appeared in the divine form of Sri Gayatri Devi Avataram, revered as the mother of the Vedas. Devotees thronged the temple in large numbers to offer prayers and participated in the Kumkuma Pooja at the Mallikharjuna Maha Mandapam.

Temple priests explained that Sri Gayatri Devi is depicted seated on a red lotus, with five heads and ten hands, symbolising wisdom, knowledge and the incarnations of Parvati and Saraswati. The temple witnessed visits from several prominent leaders and ministers. Home and Disaster Management Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, Women and Child Welfare Minister Gummadi Sandhya Rani, BC Welfare Minister S Savitha, and MLAs Paritala Sunitha, Vemireddy Prashanti Reddy, Bandaru Sravani and Galla Madhavi, along with MLC Kavali Greeshma, had darshan of the goddess. Government Whip Bolisetti Srinivas and MLA P Dharma Raju also visited the temple. Temple EO VK Seena Naik welcomed the dignitaries, while Vedic scholars offered blessings at the Veda Ashirvachanam Mandapam.

The ministers also reviewed arrangements and appreciated the efforts of the NTR district administration, police, and temple authorities in handling the heavy rush.

They monitored the pilgrim movement from the command control room at the Model Guest House and directed officials to provide the best facilities to devotees.

According to temple authorities, around 66,000 devotees visited the temple on the second day, a significant rise compared to the first day. Pilgrims had darshan within one to one-and-a-half hours through queue lines arranged from Sri Vinayaka Temple near VMC. The temple earned Rs 25.48 lakh through Laddu Prasadam sales, darshan tickets and special pujas.

NTR district collector Dr G Lakshmisha, Police Commissioner SV Rajasekhar Babu and VMC Commissioner HM Dhyanachandra personally inspected arrangements and assured devotees of a smooth and hassle-free darshan experience.