Thousands throng Vijayawada’s Kanaka Durga temple on Day 4 of Dasara festivities

The Indrakeeladri hill reverberated with chants of ‘Jai Bhavani’ as thousands of devotees thronged the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamyvarla Devasthanam on Wednesday to worship the presiding deity in her Sri Maha Chandi Devi alankaram on the fourth day of the Dasara Sharannavaratri festivities. Film personalities Murali Mohan, Srinivas Reddy and Raja Ravindra were among those who visited the temple and offered prayers.

The spiritual atmosphere atop Indrakeeladri was marked by the chanting of ‘Jai Bhavani’ and Chandi mantras. Devotees also recited the hymn ‘Sarva Mangala Mangalye’ to seek the Goddess's blessings.

Temple authorities arranged drinking water and other basic amenities along the queue lines to ensure smooth darshan. Officials from various departments coordinated the arrangements to prevent inconvenience to devotees amid the heavy rush.

Free darshan

All queue lines at the Sri Kanaka Durga temple will be reserved exclusively for free darshan on Friday, Moola Nakshatram day, when Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will offer silk robes to the presiding deity on behalf of the State government.

With lakhs of devotees expected to visit the temple on the auspicious occasion, temple authorities have decided to cancel all protocol- and recommendation-based darshans and Antaralayam darshans to give priority to ordinary devotees.

The Goddess, regarded as the presiding deity’s birth star day, will appear in the Sri Saraswati Devi alankaram, one of the most significant occasions during the Dasara Sharannavaratri festivities.

Kanaka Durga temple officials said all queue lines will operate as free darshan routes for smooth and uninterrupted flow of devotees. Devotees will be allowed to have darshan of the Goddess from the Mukha Mandapam, with authorities seeking to ensure that those waiting in queues are not inconvenienced by special visits or other interruptions.

Traffic restrictions will also be enforced on Indrakeeladri on October 16. No private vehicles will be allowed onto the hill, and all vehicle passes issued earlier, including service passes, will be on hold temporarily. Only official vehicles engaged in emergency duties will be permitted.

The temple authorities appealed to VIPs and devotees to cooperate with the arrangements, maintain discipline and ensure a peaceful atmosphere so that ordinary devotees can have a smooth darshan of the Goddess in her Saraswati Devi alankaram.