More than 18.29 lakh devotees had darshan at Vijayawada’s Kanaka Durga temple by 4pm on Thursday as the Dasara rush continued at Indrakeeladri and in the I-Town area, with authorities maintaining extended food, water, medical and queue-management arrangements for pilgrims waiting to enter the shrine.
Temple executive officer Seena Naik said the latest footfall figure included 14.84 lakh devotees who visited between October 11 and midnight on October 20, followed by a sustained influx of Bhavani devotees on October 21 and 22. The devotees, many dressed in red, continued to arrive through Thursday night, with those still waiting expected to complete darshan over the weekend.
The scale of the gathering has required the temple administration and other government departments to operate services across queue lines, holding areas and access points. By 4pm, the temple had distributed 39.84 lakh laddus, while another 3.30 lakh were ready for distribution. Annadanam had been provided to 8,37,385 devotees.
Meals were being served at the annaprasadam complex until midnight. Food packets were distributed in holding areas between 1am and 4am or 5am, while additional food centres operated near the Vinayaka temple entrance, the underpass near the tonsuring hall and the protocol office on the hill. The temple also distributed 4.34 lakh packets of buttermilk and 6.45 lakh biscuit packets.
Safe drinking water was being supplied continuously along the queue routes and in holding areas. Medical teams working from five-bed facilities on the hill had provided free outpatient services and emergency medicines to about 1.06 lakh devotees. The cases treated included leg pain, colds, body aches and fever.
Public-address systems at the Vinayaka temple, tollgate, Om turning and the holding areas between the main temple and the Sivalayam were used to relay instructions and announce the timings of the maha naivedyam and harathis. The devotional chant “Om Sri Kanaka Durgayai Namah” was also played continuously through the public-address network.
The temple administration said its employees, police personnel and other government departments were coordinating to maintain smooth darshan and uninterrupted supplies of food and prasadam despite the continuing rush. The arrangements place multiple services—crowd movement, public health, food distribution, drinking water and communications—along the same pilgrimage route.
In the latest ritual-related update, 1,32,411 devotees had darshan for the Panchaharathis ceremony on Thursday evening. By 6pm, all darshan queues were crowded, although devotees were allowed to proceed through three queue lines while the ritual was under way.
Officials said the queue at the Vinayaka temple would be closed at 11pm depending on the rush. Darshan would continue for devotees who had already entered the queue, while the remaining pilgrims were expected to proceed through the system over the following days.
