President Murmu Offers Prayers At Kanaka Durga Temple

The President arrived at Vijayawada International Airport at Gannavaram by a special aircraft at 6.10pm. Governor S Abdul Nazeer, Union ministers Pemmasani Chandrasekhar and Kamlesh Paswan, state ministers Kollu Ravindra and Vangalapudi Anitha, chief secretary Sai Prasad, DGP Harish Gupta and others received her.

Murmu proceeded straight to the hill shrine. Minister Anitha, Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath and temple trust board chairman Borra Radhakrishna welcomed her at the temple. The president greeted devotees waiting in queues before entering the shrine.

Priests and Vedic scholars received Murmu with traditional honours. She entered the sanctum sanctorum, offered special prayers to the goddess and spent about eight minutes in worship. The temple had been decorated with flowers for the occasion.

After the darshan, Vedic scholars blessed the president at the Ashirvachana Mandapam and presented her with prasadam. Temple executive officer Seena Naik presented her with a portrait of the goddess, while Anitha offered her the sacred silk robes.

The president's visit comes ahead of the inauguration of the national-level Saras Aajeevika Mela, scheduled to be held in Vijayawada from October 15 to 31. The event would showcase traditional products, handicrafts, food items and other goods made by women self-help groups from across the country, providing them with wider market opportunities and promoting rural women's economic empowerment.

Meanwhile, the temple has announced special arrangements for Moola Nakshatram on Friday, October 16, when chief minister Chandrababu Naidu would offer silk robes to the goddess on behalf of the state government.

The goddess would appear as Sri Saraswati Devi on the auspicious day, her birth star. In view of the expected heavy rush, all queue lines would provide free darshan, while protocol, recommendation-based and sanctum sanctorum darshans would remain suspended. Devotees would have darshan from the mukha mandapam.

Private vehicles would not be allowed on the hill, and all vehicle passes, including service passes, would be temporarily suspended, except for official vehicles required for emergency duties.

Separately, the temple's fourth-day Navaratri celebrations featured a grand chariot procession of the divine couple, Goddess Durga and Lord Malleswara, with the goddess adorned as Maha Chandi Devi. The procession was accompanied by traditional music, Kerala percussion ensembles, saxophone performances, women's kolatam and folk garaga dances.

Temple chairman Radhakrishna and executive officer Seena also visited the Annaprasada facility and served food to devotees. The temple continues to provide wheelchairs, battery-operated vehicles and free transport in vans and buses to assist senior citizens, persons with disabilities and mothers with infants.