Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav Offers Prayers at Kanaka Durga Temple
Temple authorities said 92,631 devotees had darshan of Goddess Mahalakshmi Devi by 7.20 pm on Saturday.
Vijayawada: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav offered prayers to Goddess Kanaka Durga, adorned as Sri Mahalakshmi Devi, at the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy temple atop Indrakeeladri on Saturday as the Dasara Sarannavaratri celebrations continued.
Accompanied by Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath (Chinni), Yadav was welcomed by temple officials and Vedic scholars with traditional honours.
He performed special pujas at the sanctum sanctorum and received Vedic blessings at the Ashirvachana Mandapam.
Endowments commissioner K. Ramachandra Mohan, temple trust board chairman Borra Radhakrishna and executive officer V.K. Seena Naik presented Yadav with the Goddess’s sacred robes, prasadam and a portrait.
Temple authorities said 92,631 devotees had darshan of Goddess Mahalakshmi Devi by 7.20 pm on Saturday.
The traditional Adi Dampathula Nagarotsavam, featuring Lord Mallikarjuna Swamy and the divine Mother, was held amid large gatherings of devotees.
Special offerings and pancha harathis were performed to the processional deities at the Malleshwara Swamy shrine during the evening twilight.
The procession began at the shrine and passed through Rathham Centre, the Vinayaka temple and Canal Road before reaching Durga Ghat on the Krishna riverbank.
Devotees offered harathi along the route before the procession returned to the hill temple via the ghat road.
Saxophone performances, Kerala panchavadyam, Kuchipudi dance presentations and women’s kolatam groups accompanied the procession.
After it concluded, the deities were seated before the main gopuram for a traditional Asthana Seva. Vedic scholars recited benedictions, while priests performed special Chaturveda harathis.
According to religious belief, worshipping the divine couple during the procession when the Goddess is adorned as Mahalakshmi brings prosperity and helps devotees overcome financial difficulties.
Separately, the temple organised an Archaka Satkaram ceremony on the sixth floor of Sri Mallikarjuna Maha Mandapam to honour priests conducting Vedic rituals during Navaratri.
Presiding over the programme, endowments commissioner K. Ramachandra Mohan said priests played an invaluable role in preserving Sanatana Dharma and temple traditions.
He said their daily rituals, homams and chants sought the health, prosperity and welfare of humanity, adding that honouring those working for society’s welfare was a collective responsibility.
Temple sthanacharya Vishnubhotla Sivaprasad Sharma and chief priests Yanamandra Malleshwara Sastry, Lingambhotla Durgaprasad Sharma and Kundurthi Kanaka Sundara Sharma supervised the ceremony.
The priests were honoured with shawls and prasadam on behalf of the temple and offered blessings to the commissioner. A large number of priests and temple officials attended.