Vijayawada: Bhavanis' Initiation Ceremony

 The initiation ceremony for the Bhavanis has commenced at the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy temple located on Indrakiladri. On Saturday morning, amidst the sounds of traditional instruments and festive music, Temple Executive Officer KS Rama Rao lit the fire for three homa gundas. Following this, the neti tenkayas brought by the Bhavanis were placed in the homa gundas, marking the start of the initiation, which has attracted a large number of Bhavanis to Vijayawada. The chants of "Jai Durga.. Jai Jai Durga" echoed in honor of the goddess Durga.

As preparations for the initiation ceremony were underway, district officials reviewed the arrangements. District Collector Lakshmi Shah, Vijayawada Municipal Commissioner Dhyan Chandra, and City Police Commissioner Rajasekhara Babu oversaw the preparations to ensure everything is in order. Bhavanis are arriving in Vijayawada from various parts of the state to participate in this important event.

In light of this, higher authorities instructed the temple management to implement measures to prevent any inconvenience to the devotees. Holding points have been established for the Bhavani devotees, and arrangements have been made for offering talaneel at the feet of Sita. Additionally, the government has recently launched a special app to track the number of Bhavanis coming to Vijayawada for the initiation. Devotees have been advised to register their participation in advance using this app.

A special counter has been set up in Kanakadurga Nagar for devotees who have pre-booked prasadams through the mobile app. Considering the expected influx of devotees, authorities have also implemented special measures for the Annadanam program. Each year, the Bhavani Diksha Kher is celebrated on Indrakiladri, drawing large crowds from the Telugu states.

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has directed district officials to ensure that the Bhavani Diksha Kher program runs smoothly, emphasizing that devotees of Durgamma should encounter no difficulties.

However, during a supervisory check related to the Diksha Kher, District Collector Lakshmi Shah observed some negligence on the part of the engineering department officials. She warned them that even minor oversights regarding the Bhavani would not be tolerated.