Vizag: Rs 4.75 crore cash, gold to adorn Goddess

Visakhapatnam: The management of the Goddess Vasavi Kanyaka Parameswari temple in Visakhapatnam adorned the deity with Rs 2.25 crore in cash and gold worth Rs 2.5 crore as part of the Navratri celebrations on Sunday.

Seen in Mahalakshmi avatar on Sunday, the Goddess was draped in a shimmering gold saree and decorated with gold jewellery. There was a huge rush of devotees at the temple on Sunday to catch a glimpse of the deity.
Chief priest Kumara Sarma said that Navratri festival was the most auspicious time for worshipping the nine manifestations of Goddess Durga.

“Among all the nine days, Saptami, Astami, Navami and Dasmi are the most favourable days. Several devotees and businessmen contributed the money and jewellery to decorate the Goddess. The surrounding jewellery shops did their bit in providing the jewellery. Last year, we adorned the goddess with about '1.2 crore in cash,” Mr Sarma said.

Five constables were deployed at the temple for security purposes.
K. Radhika, a devotee, said that she makes sure to witness all the nine manifestations of the Goddess during Navratri every year. Hundreds of women offered special prayers on Sunday.

With a history of over 130 years, the temple draws huge crowd during Navratri. The tradition of decorating the goddess with money started a few years ago and with Rs1 lakh rupees.