Devotion marked the commencement of Dasara festivities at the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamyvarla Devasthanma, popular as Kanaka Durga temple, atop Indrakeeladri here on Saturday.
In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the authorities put a cap of 10,000 per day on the number of devotees for darshan of the Goddess, and they were allowed only through online darshan ticket. Last year, nearly 80,000 devotees visited the temple on each day of the festival.
The presiding deity is worshipped in various forms (avatars) during the 10-day festival. In a symbolic representation of the 10 forms (alankaram) of triumph of good over evil, each form is chosen as per the astrological star of the day, in accordance with the lunar calendar.
Alankarams
On day one (Saturday), the Goddess was worshipped as Sri Swarna Kavachalankruta Durga Devi. This will be followed by ‘Sri Bala Tripura Sundari Devi’ alankaram on Sunday (October 18) and ‘Sri Gayathri Devi’ form on Monday (October 19).
Similarly, the deity will be worshipped in the form of ‘Sri Annapurna Devi’ on October 20, ‘Sri Saraswathi Devi’ (Moola Nakshatram day) on October 21, ‘Sri Lalita Tripua Sundari Devi’ on October 22, ‘Sri Mahalakshmi’ on October 23, Sri Durga Devi (Durgashtami) or ‘Sri Mahishasura Mardhini Devi’ (Maharnavami) and as ‘Sri Rajarajeswari Devi’ (Vijayadasami) on October 25.
On Moola Nakshatram day, when the Goddess will be adorned as ‘Sri Saraswati Devi’, darshan will start at 3 a.m., and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will offer ‘pattu vastrams’ to the deity on behalf of the State government.
On Saturday, 9,215 devotees visited the temple by 6 p.m., temple Chairman Pyla Somi Naidu and Executive Director Suresh Babu said.
Of them, 5,345 had online ticket and the remaining were allowed since there was still time to close the entry.
Brahmin Corporation Chairman and Vijayawada Central MLA Malladi Vishnu, and High Court Judges Praveen Kumar and Vijayalakshmi, among others, visited the temple on the first day.
