VIJAYAWADA: With the increase in day temperature during the past 10 days, devotees visiting the Kanakadurga temple are literally feeling the heat. The devotees are forced to wait in queues stretching over 2 km to reach the sanctum sanctorum for darshan.
The day temperature hovered at around 34 0 C on Monday, and this ensured that the devotees, especially the elderly, suffer as they walked barefoot to the temple. The high humidity levels too added to the discomfiture.
The younger devotees were seen running across the open spaces, wherever they could, while the elderly were not so fortunate.
Though the temple staff handed out drinking water sachets, it did little to ease the devotees’ discomfiture, who have to wait for over three hours for darshan.
Security personnel were seen asking the devotees to keep moving when they took small breaks, so that the flow of devotees went on uninterrupted.
Meanwhile, the Met department said that the heatwave conditions are due to some seasonal disturbances.
Meanwhile, temple officials are facing the heat as they have failed to provide accommodation to the devotees.
Every year, devotees from Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapat-nam and Godavari districts, besides parts of Rayalaseema, visit the temple. Apart from this, another 20,000 to 30,000 devotees come from the other parts of the state. However, the temple authorities have failed to arrange accommodation for devotees.
K. Parvati, a devotee from West Godavari district, said that though devotees very much want to stay in cottages belonging to the temple, the authorities ignore this desire.
S. Sanyasamma said that she comes from Srikakulam every year, but always faces inconvenience due to non-availability of accommodation.
“The hotels are too costly and not many of the devotees can afford them,” she said.
The temple administration’s plans to construct dormitories for devotees has not materialised so far.
Meanwhile, devotees, particularly elderly devotees, returning after darshan of Goddess Kanakadurga, face the risk of falling down the stairs as they have no way to balance themselves.
Elderly devotees say that the temple authorities are aware of the danger they face, but have not arranged an alternative and safer exit.
Dasara is the most celebrated festival in the state, during which thousands of people make their way to the temple to seek blessings of presiding deity.
The devotees have to start their long trek up the hill to the temple for darshan from the temple tower at ghat road and then exit the temple by taking the stairs.
The officials have several options. They can utilise the mahamandapam, which is just outside the sanctum sanctorum. Though it has not been inaugurated, it can be used to provide an exit to the elderly as its elevators are working.
Interesting, these elevators are being used by the temple officials to take their relatives and friends for darshan.
On the fifth day of the 10-day Dasara festival, over 36,000 devotees visited the Kanakadurga temple atop Indrakeeladri for darshan.
The temple staff said that Rs 14,20,836 was received in offerings from devotees up till Monday evening.
Wednesday, being Moola nakshatram day, would be more hectic as lakhs of devotees are expected to throng the temple for darshan of the presiding deity in the avatar of Saraswathi Devi.
Temple staff have been preparing for such days since a while.
Over three lakh devotees are expected to visit the temple during the last five days of the 10-day festival, of which, 50 per cent are from various parts of the state.
