From The Hindu · G.V.R. Subba Rao · · 2m
58,000 devotees visit Kanaka Durga temple on sacred day
Vijayawada's Kanaka Durga temple draws massive crowds on Moola Nakshatram, with authorities deploying technology and extra police to manage the rush.
In brief
Vijayawada's Kanaka Durga temple draws massive crowds on Moola Nakshatram, with authorities deploying technology and extra police to manage the rush. Kanaka Durga temple in Vijayawada received fifty eight thousand seven hundred fourteen devotees by eight a.m. on Moola Nakshatram day, October sixteenth, twenty…
Massive crowds on sacred day
As many as fifty eight thousand seven hundred fourteen devotees had darshan of Goddess Kanaka Durga on Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada by eight a.m. on Friday, October sixteenth, twenty twenty-six, the auspicious Moola Nakshatram day.
Goddess worshipped as Saraswati
On Moola Nakshatram, the presiding deity is worshipped in the form of Goddess Saraswati. The temple authorities expected between two point five lakh to three lakh devotees during the day.
Extensive security and monitoring
Officials installed four hundred fifty CCTV cameras to monitor pilgrim rush through a modern command control centre.About three thousand five hundred police personnel were on duty, with an additional nine hundred deployed for Moola Nakshatram.
Support services for devotees
Drinking water, buttermilk, biscuits and annaprasadam were distributed at holding points and along queue lines. Alternative arrangements were made to facilitate darshan through the Mahamandapam in the event of rain.
Technology to manage crowds
Hourly bulletins on waiting times were issued through the command control room, and digital screens at various locations kept devotees informed. Data analytics was used to estimate darshan waiting times.
Priority for ordinary devotees
VIP passes were cancelled for the day to give priority to ordinary devotees. Endowments Commissioner K. Ramachandra Mohan said the number of devotees visiting the temple had increased compared with the previous year.
Chief Minister to offer silk robes
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was scheduled to offer silk robes to the Goddess between four p.m. and four thirty p.m. A QR-code feedback system was introduced to improve services.
At a glance
Kanaka Durga temple in Vijayawada received fifty eight thousand seven hundred fourteen devotees by eight a.m. on Moola Nakshatram day, October sixteenth, twenty twenty-six, with authorities expecting two point five to three lakh visitors.
