VIJAYAWADA: Hilltop Indrakeeladri Durga Temple acquired a red hue on Friday and Saturday with conclusion of Bhavani Deeksha rituals coinciding with ending of Dasara festivities. The traditional Teppotsavam ritual for processional Durga and Malleswara Swamy deities was organised in a decorated boat amid floodwaters gushing into Krishna River from the Prakasam Barrage reservoir.
Durga temple priests performed traditional rituals to deities in Hamsa Vahanam. Endowments minister Vellampalli Srinivas, Krishna district collector J. Nivas and Vijayawada police commissioner B. Srinivasulu were among those who worshiped Goddess Kanaka Durga.
Devotees who had taken Bhavani Deeskha came wearing the customary red dresses for conclusion of their deekshas. Durga temple and ghat were chock-o-block with the devout on Friday and Saturday.
Vijayawada railway station and Pandit Nehru bus stand were choked with passengers with devotees returning to their native places after conclusion of Dasara Navaratri celebrations. APSRTC arranged special buses services for clearing the huge rush towards Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam and Rayalaseema. Railways also ran special trains for convenience of passengers.
