Clad in red robes, thousands of devotees made a beeline for the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamyvarla Devasthanam atop Indrakeeladri as the Bhavani Deeksha Viramana (relinquishment) began on a grand note on January 3 (Wednesday).
Having observed the deeksha for 21 days or 41 days, the devotees, popularly known as Bhavanis, walked barefoot to the temple from January 2 (Tuesday) midnight for the relinquishment rituals. They waited till dawn for the temple’s doors to open after the priests performed the daily rituals. They performed Agni Pratishtapana and lit fire in the homagundam and other rituals amid the recitation of Vedic hymns.
The temple and its downhill areas turned into a sea of red with devotees from all age groups occupying every inch of space. The devotees circumambulated Indrakeeladri as part of the Giri Pradakshina rituals and took a holy dip in the Krishna river before offering the irumudi, a twin sack containing coconut and sacred material, to the goddess. They put coconuts into the homagundam and holy pit downhill Indrakeeladri.
Bhavani Deeksha Relinquishment is the second largest festival of the Kanaka Durga temple after Dasara. Devotees from various parts of Andhra Pradesh, particularly north coastal districts, Odisha and other States, visit the temple to relinquish their deeksha.
The temple has made elaborate arrangements for the event. The officials said that around five lakh devotees were expected to visit the temple during the Deeksha Viramana. Queue lines were set up from Canal Road to the temple to regulate the flow of devotees. Other arrangements such as setting up prasadam counters have also been made at the Mallikarjuna Maha Mandapam. Tonsure centres and bathing arrangements have been made near the ghats along the Krishna river.
