2 lakh devotees at Durga temple to mark Moola Nakshtram

Vijayawada: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu along with his wife Bhuvaneswari presented silk robes to goddess Kanakadurga on Saturday on behalf of the state government to mark Moola Nakshtram, the birth star of the goddess. Temple authorities welcomed the Chief Minister with Purna Kumbham and performed special pujas after the robes were presented.

Speaking afterwards, Mr Naidu said he had prayed for blessings and prosperity for all in the state and for the early completion of the Polavaram project. The temple witnessed huge crowds right from early on Saturday. More than 2 lakh devotees turned up to have a glimpse of the goddess on the auspicious day. Temple officials had made elaborate arrangements keeping in view the heavy rush. Special darshan tickets were cancelled.

The queue lines stretched up to 2 km on both sides of the main entrance. Mr Naidu lauded the extensive arrangements made by the temple authorities. The roads leading to the temple were jammed with traffic. The police had imposed traffic restrictions on the Canal Road, Bus Station Road, KR Market junction and Tu-mmalapalli Kalakshetram road, resulting in additional pressure on vehicular movement. The police arranged special buses directly on to the hill from Ashoka Pillar, for the elderly and disabled.