VIJAYAWADA: The Dasara Sarannavaratri celebrations atop Indrakeeladri in the Durga Temple in Vijayawada rose to the ninth day on Tuesday and the temple witnessed a larger throng of devotees.
Presiding deity Kanaka Durga appeared as Mahishasura Mardini Devi on the ninth day. Devotees lined up to take blessings of Mahishasura Mardini. The annual teppotsavam of Goddess Durga (the boat ride) on Hamsa vahanam in River Krishna was cancelled due to huge inflows to Prakasam barrage. The rituals of the Hamsa vahanam would be held in stable waters on Wednesday.
NTR District collector Dilli Rao said the traditional teppotsavam, the celestial boat ride of Lord Mallikarjuna Swamy and Goddess Kanaka Durga in the river has been cancelled. It was scheduled to be organised on Wednesday.
It was decided to keep the Hamsa vahana on the bank of the river and puja will be performed there for Lord Durga Malleswara Swamy and Goddess Kanaka Durga.
Irrigation officer Krushna Murthy said more than one lakh cusecs of floodwater was expected to reach Prakasam barrage from Pulichintala.
“It is not possible to conduct the teppotsavam due to the continuous flow of floodwater in Krishna that will continue for three days. Only a puja will be performed on Durga Ghat by placing the ceremonial idols of Lord Durga Malleswara Swamy and Goddess Kanaka Durga on the Hamsa Vahanam,” the collector said.
TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy on Tuesday presented silk clothes to Goddess Durga decorated for the day as Mahishasura Mardini Devi. He said that as advised by chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the TTD has cancelled all privileged darshans and gave the common devotees top priority for darshan. The same was done in the Vijayawada temple.
He said facilities would be developed for TTD devotees at the Kummaripalem centre's land and gold plating of Anjaneya Swami idol would be done with the contributions of donors.
“Prayers were offered to Goddess Kanaka Durga for good rains and for the well-being of the people and the TTD also extended Dasara greetings to all.
Minister for BC Welfare and I&PR Chelluboina Srinivas Venu Gopala Krishna, minister for civil supplies Karumuri Nageswara Rao, MP GV Narasimha Rao, MLAs Vasantha Krishna Prasad, Kodali Venkateswara Rao alias Nani and KV Rosaiah, AP high court judges, Justice D Venkataramana, Justice BS Bhanumathi and Justice Radha Krishna Krupa Sagar and Vijayawada Mayor Rayana Bhagya Lakshmi and others visited the Durga temple.
The Vijayawada city police led by the One Town police conducted the Ayudha Pooja for the weapons in the police stations as per a tradition of Vijaya Dasami.
On the final and last day of Navaratri on Wednesday, Durga appears as Sri Rajarajeswari Devi. She sits on the throne and holds ‘Ikshu khanda’ (sugarcane) in one hand and gives blessings to her devotees, with abhaya mudra (fearlessness) on another hand.
Sugarcane is symbolic of sweetness, the juice of bliss (atma gnana – self-realization). She whips those who are wicked, arrogant and harmful to others; and her peaceful, smiling, benevolent looks mesmerize the devotees.
