Devotees throng Saraswati temple in Basara amid Vasant Panchami

A large number of devotees gathered at the Gnana Saraswati Devi temple in Basara on Friday to mark Vasant Panchami, one of the most auspicious days dedicated to the goddess of learning.

Temple rituals began in the early hours, with priests performing Suprabhata Seva (morning prayers) at 1 am on Thursday night, followed by abhishekams for the three forms of the goddess. Aksharabhyasam ceremonies, marking the initiation of children into learning, commenced at 3 am. Heavy crowds led to long waiting times, with devotees spending up to three hours for darshan and around two hours for Aksharabhyasam rituals.

Vasant Panchami celebrations at Basara began on Wednesday and concluded on Friday. Since the start of the festivities, devotees have been arriving in large numbers, with a significant influx reported on Friday from various parts of the Telugu states. Temple authorities made special arrangements to manage the crowds and ensure a smooth flow of devotees.

Similar scenes were witnessed at the Sri Saraswati temple in Vargal near Siddipet, where all queue lines were filled from early morning.

In Vijayawada, Goddess Durga at the Sri Durgamalleswara Swamy temple on Indrakeeladri hill is giving darshan in the form of Saraswati Devi. Free darshan has been arranged for school students from 7 am to 6 pm. As Friday is considered highly auspicious, a large turnout of devotees is expected, and special arrangements have been put in place by temple authorities.