Durga temple witnesses steep rise in devotee rush

Vijayawada: There has been steep increase in the number of devotees who visited the Durga temple this Dasara festival season as 9.40 lakh devotees visited the temple in the first five days from October 10 to 14. The temple recorded the highest attendance in a single day as 4.15 lakh devotees visited the temple on MulaNakshatram Day on Sunday when the presiding deity was decorated in SaraswatiAlankaram.

During the first five days of Dasara celebrations in 2017, the attendance was 5,36,000. This year, the attendance increased to 9.40 lakh as 4 lakh more devotees visited the temple for the darshan of Goddess Kanaka Durga atop Indrakeeladri compared to previous year. There is a rise of 75 percent in the pilgrim rush to the Durga temple this year compared to the previous year in the first five days from October 10 to 14. 

MulaNakshatram Day and Vijaya Dasami, the last day of the nine-day celebrations are very important to the devotees. Temple Executive officer V Koteswaramma informed the media on Monday that 4.15 lakh devotees attended the temple in a single day on Sunday. She said temple administration along with the police and the revenue made elaborate arrangements for the free flow of queue lines and to avoid untoward incidents.  
During the nine-day celebrations in 2017, the attendance was 12.64,000 from October 10 to 18. The organisers are also making elaborate arrangements with waterproof tents along the 3-km queue line and lakhs of drinking water sachets. Bhavani Sevadal volunteers--mostly students--are rendering enormous help to the physically challenged and senior citizens in reaching the temple as well as for the Darshan.

The temple earned Rs.1.71 crore in the five days as devotees purchased laddus, tamarind rice and tickets for tonsure. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu praised the district administration and temple administration for making elaborate arrangements for the hassle-free Darshan. He visited the temple on Sunday and presented silk clothes to the presiding deity on MulaNakshatram.