Thousands of people throng Vijayawada’s Kanaka Durga Temple on the 4th day of Dasara festivities

Goddess Kanaka Durga, adorned as Sri Maha Chandi Devi, on the grounds of Siddhartha Hotel Management College in Vijayawada on Wednesday. | Photo credit: GN RAO

The Indrakeeladri hill echoed 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 at the top of Indrakeeladri was marked by the chanting of ‘Jai Bhavani’ and Chandi mantras. Devotees also recited the hymn ‘Sarva Mangala Mangalye’ to seek the blessings of the Goddess.

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

Free Darshan

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

As thousands of devotees are expected to visit the temple on the auspicious occasion, the temple authorities have decided to cancel all protocol and recommendation based darshans and Antaralayam darshans to give preference to regular devotees.

Considered to be the auspicious birth day of the presiding deity, the goddess appears in the Sri Saraswati Devi alankaram, one of the most significant occasions during the Dasara Sharannavaratri festivities.

Kanaka Durga temple officials said all the queues will function as free darshan routes for smooth and uninterrupted flow of devotees. Devotees will be able to have darshan of the goddess from the Mukha Mandapam, with authorities trying to ensure that those waiting in queues are not harassed by special visits or other interruptions.

Traffic restrictions will also be enforced at Indrakeeladri on October 16. No private vehicles will be allowed on the hill and all previously issued vehicle passes, including service passes, will be temporarily suspended. Only official vehicles involved in emergency services will be permitted.

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

Published – 14 Oct 2026 19:50 IST