Grand Kumbhabhishekam to Mark Spiritual Renewal at Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Devasthanam
The Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan would attend the ceremony.
Vijayawada: In a celebration steeped in devotion and Vedic grandeur, the sacred Kumbhabhishekam of Sri Kanaka Durga Ammavari temple atop Indrakeeladri would be held from March 6 to 8.
Addressing the media, Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath, NTR District collector Lakshmisha, police commissioner Rajasekhar Babu, temple trust board chairman Borra Radhakrishna and executive officer VK Seena Naik explained the arrangements.
The once-in-12-years ritual is being conducted in accordance with Agama Shastra for the “spiritual rejuvenation of the temple’s divine energies,” it was stated.
Temple chief priest Lingambhotla Durgaprasad and Vedic committee member Shanmukha Sastry detailed the three-day schedule of rituals, beginning with Ganapati Puja, Agni Pratishta and homams on March 6. The main Kumbhabhishekam would be performed on March 8 at 9.34 am in Mesha Lagnam, followed by the pontiff’s Anugraha Bhashanam at the Rajagopuram premises.
The MP said the sacred consecration of the temple’s Vimana Gopuram would be performed by Shankara Vijayendra Saraswati, head of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. Holy waters collected from major rivers, sacred tirthas and the seven seas would be sanctified through Vedic rites before they are used for the Kumbhabhishekam.
The Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan would attend the ceremony.
Officials estimate that lakhs of devotees from across India and abroad would participate in the rituals and prayers. “Comprehensive arrangements are in place to ensure that devotees face no inconvenience,” the MP said, recalling the seamless conduct of Dasara festivities the previous years.
Collector Lakshmisha promised priority for common devotees. “The district administration is fully geared up under ‘Team NTR’ to manage the crowds. If we had handled two lakh devotees per day during Dasara, we are ready to manage three lakh per day now,” he asserted.
Commissioner Babu promised robust security with advanced surveillance and crowd-control systems, noting a steady annual rise in pilgrim footfall.