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Common devotees gained priority on the Moola Nakshatram day atop Indrakeeladri, the abode of Goddess Kanaka Durga, here on Sunday. About two and a half lakh devotees had a hassle-free darshan from 1.10 a.m. till midnight. All the queue lines turned into free darshan lines and there were no special queue lines and special darshan for VVIPs and VIPs.
All the gates of the temple used for VIP darshan were locked. No devotee was allowed to venture out from the queue lines beyond the Om turning atop the hill.
There were serpentine queues from the small hours. Though temporary compartments erected near the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) office were filled with devotees, the queue lines moved swiftly.
About 10,000 devotees per hour could have the glimpse of the presiding deity, decked up as Goddess Saraswati, with a veena on her lap and blessing devotees.
Devotees consider Moola Nakshatram as auspicious as it is the Janma Nakshatram (birth star) of the Goddess. The authorities cancelled all tickets — ₹100, ₹300 and ₹500 — in view of the heavy rush. The Antaralaya Darshan was stopped
CM gets traditional welcome
Endowments Minister Kottu Satyanarayana made his presence felt as he sat on the temple premises from morning till Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s visit. He personally monitored the arrangements and movement of queue lines.
The temple priests welcomed Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy with Poorna Kumbham, a traditional welcome. They offered traditional Aasirvachanam (blessings) to the Chief Minister, and the officials presented him Seshavastram, prasadam and a portrait of Goddess Kanaka Durga.
It is customary for either the Chief Minister or the Endowments Minister to present the silk robes to the presiding deity during Dasara festival.
The devotees waited in queue lines since Saturday night. After taking a holy dip in the Krishna, they entered the queue lines at the Vinayaka temple. The officials stopped operating special vehicles for VIPs, media and others to the temple.
