Devotees throng Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada to worship Annapurna Devi

The Kanaka Durga temple atop Indrakeeladri decorated with illumination on the third day of Dasara festival, in Vijayawada on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: G.N. RAO

Goddess Kanaka Durga was adorned with Annapurna Devi alankaram at the Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam atop Indrakeelari in Vijayawada on the third day of the Navaratri festival on Saturday (October 5, 2024).

From the early hours, devotees queued up for darshan at the temple. According to the temple officials, more than 50,000 devotees had darshan by the evening. The temple generated a revenue of more than ₹45 lakh from the sale of darshan tickets, laddu prasadams and other proceedings on the fourth day of Dasara.

Temple priest Srinivasa Sastry said that Goddess Annapurna nourishes the body and blesses the devotees with wisdom and grace, making her a symbol of both physical and spiritual nourishment.

Undi MLA Kanumuri Raghu Ramakrishna Raju offered prayers at the temple. Addressing the media, the MLS said that he sought blessings from the Goddess for the well-being of the people of Andhra Pradesh and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. He praised the arrangements made by the government and temple authorities for the convenience of devotees. 

“My mother’s name is Annapurna. So, I ensure that I have darshan of the Goddess in Annapurna Devi alankaram,” he said.