Vijayawada: Over 60,000 devotees flock to temple on 2nd day
Priests performing kumkum puja to Goddess Kanaka Durga at the temple atop Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada on Tuesday
Photo: Ch Venkata Mastan
Vijayawada(NTR District): On the second day of Dasara festival, over 60,000 devotees flocked Kanaka Durga temple on Tuesday. According to temple officials, about 1.10 lakh pilgrims had the Goddess darshan in two days.
On Tuesday, Goddess Kanaka Durga appeared as Sri Bala Tripura Sundari Devi, draped in red, green and yellow sarees. According to priests, devotees have to Bala 'anugraha' first, then only they can get Maha Tripura Sundari Devi blessings. This is the alankaram which gives complete propitiate to the devotees in all Dasara Mahotsavam, they said. Hence, devotees bring their daughters to seek the Goddess blessings. They treat girls aged between 2-10 years as manifestation of the Goddess and presents new clothes and gifts under 'Balarchana' on this day.
Meanwhile, District Collector S Dilli Rao and Police Commissioner Kanthi Rana Tata have been monitoring Dasara festivities minute to minute. Collector Dilli Rao is checking the arrangements by integrated CC Monitoring System from his chamber. Besides, he also monitoring the arrangements atop Indrakeeladri personally.
On Tuesday morning, the Collector visited the temple and asked the officials to sort out all the problems that were raised on the first day. He said that devotees, coming through free queue lines, were completing darshan within one hour and thanked all the departments for this.
NTR district Police Commissioner Kanthi Rana Tata along with DCP Vishal Gunny and others personally supervised the arrangements. He visited queue lines and interacted with devotees. He ordered the officials concerned to resolve issues immediately.
On Wednesday, the third day of the festivities, the presiding deity Goddess Kanaka Durga will appear in 'Sri Gayathri Devi' alankaram. In this attire, Sri Gayatri Devi with her magical powers is seated in a lotus with 'Pancha mukhi' (five faces) representing pancha pranas - Prana, Apana, Vyana, Udana and Samana, five principles or elements earth, water, air, fire and sky. The Goddess glows in five colours - pearl (mukta), coral (Vidruma), gold (hema), blue (neela), white (Dhaval) and eight shoulders.