Vijayawada: All is set for the start of Dasara Sarannavarathri Utsavalu at the hilltop Indrakeeladri Durga temple from October 15 to October 23. On each day, the presiding Goddess Durga will be adorned in various attires.
She will appear in the Sri Maha Chandi Devi Alankaram on October 19, the fifth day of the Dasara festivities.
Deputy Chief Minister Kottu Satyanarayana, who holds the endowments portfolio, along with Vijayawada West MLA Vellampalli Srinivasa Rao and officials, inspected Dasara arrangements on the Indrakeeladri hill on Saturday. 6,000 police personnel will be guarding the hill during the festival.
Milk, buttermilk, and biscuits will be provided to those standing in queues for darshan of the Devi during the 9-day festivities.
Satyanarayana said Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will visit Durga temple on one of the auspicious days.
He disclosed that there are two slots for darshan for the elderly in the morning and evening. Seva Samiti will be escorting the elderly during their darshan.
On the first day of the festivities on Sunday, Goddess Sri Kanak Durga will appear in Sri Tripura Sundari Devi Alankaram.
Authorities are expecting over 8–10 lakh devotees at the temple.
NTR district police commissioner Kanthi Rana Tata organised a special meeting at the Loyola College Auditorium grounds on security with police personnel in Vijayawada.
Additional Inspector General M. Ravindranath Babu, Vijayawada DCPs Vishal Gunny, and Ajitha Vejendla, CSW DCP Udaya Rani and Admin DCP Moka Sathibabu, Crime ADCP P. Venkata Ratnam, SB ADCP D. Prasad, ACPs, CIs and SIs attended the meeting.
