Indrakeeladri: Ashada Masam festivities from July 6 to Aug 4

Vijayawada: Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam (Sri Durga temple) Executive Officer K S Rama Rao on Sunday said the temple administration will conduct various spiritual and cultural programmes in the Ashada Masam which will be celebrated from July 6 to August 4.

Addressing a media conference on Sunday at the Maha Mandapam, the EO said the devotees present Sare to Goddess Kanaka Durga to mark the auspicious month of Ashadam. He said the temple administration will organise month long cultural programmes and perform special rituals.

He said Sakambari celebrations will be held from July 19 to 21 and the presiding deity will be decorated with vegetables, fruits and leaves for three days. He said special pujas will be performed wishing that the two Telugu States get plenty of rains and people live happily and peacefully.

Rama Rao said Bhagya Nagar Sri Mahankali Jatara Bonalu Utsava Committee (Secunderabad) will present Bonalu to the Goddess on Indrakeeladri on July 14. He said Secunderabad based Mahankali Jatara Bonalu Utsava committee will present Pattu Vastralu to the Goddess and the committee has been presenting the Bondalu for the last 15 years.

He said around 1,000 devotees and artistes will participate in the procession to be held on July 14 morning from Jammi Doddi in Brahmin Street to the Sri Kanaka Durga temple on Indrakeeladri hillock. He said instructions have already been issued to the temple officials to begin preparations for the Ashada Masam celebrations and Bonalu presentation on July 14.

He informed that the devotees can avail the online facility for the special pujas by logging onto www.kanakadurgamma.org and devotional programmes can also be watched on the Youtube channel of the temple.

He said online ticket booking facility is also available to the devotees and they can book tickets for the darshan logging onto www.kanakadurgamma.org.

The EO requested the devotees coming for protocol darshan, elderly people and physically challenged not to come to the temple for darshan between 11.30 am and 1.30 pm. He said there will be heavy rush between 11.30 am and 1.30 pm at the temple. Temple priests V Siva Prasada Sarma, Vedic staff L Badrinath Babu, R Srinivasa Sastry, executive engineer KVS Koteswara Rao and others present at the press conference.

There is a possibility of heavy rush in Ashada masam on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and suggested to the devotees to park their vehicles at the Punnami Ghat and Seetamma Padalu and come to the temple by the bus facility arranged by the temple administration.