Devotees participate in ‘Aashada Saare’ ritual at Indrakeeladri

Thousands of devotees gathered atop the Indrakeeladri, abode of Goddess Kanaka Durgu to celebrate the traditional ‘Aashada Saare’ ritual at Sri Durga Malleswara Swamyvarla Devasthanam on Thursday. The day began with spiritual fervour and culminated in a grand Kuchipudi dance performance dedicated to the goddess.

The Aashada Saare festivities commenced with a ceremonial procession. The processional idol was carried in a grand procession from the sanctum to the sixth-floor Maha Mandapam. The temple’s executive officer, V.K. Seena Naik, and his family led the ritual by offering the first saare, accompanied by temple staff and their families. The saare, symbolic of a daughter’s gift to her maternal home, was presented with traditional offerings and distributed to devotees.

Large number of devotees from across the State participated in the event, receiving free prasadam and blessings from the priests.

Adding to the spiritual significance, Andhra Pradesh Home Minister V. Anitha also visited the temple in the morning. After offering her saare to the goddess, she received darshan and blessings in the Maha Mandapam, with temple officials formally welcoming her.

The day’s events reflected a vibrant confluence of devotion, tradition, and culture, further enriching the spiritual aura of Indrakeeladri during the sacred month of Aashada.

In the evening, the temple hosted a cultural offering titled ‘Jagannmata Ku Nritya Kalaarchana’, featuring a devotional Kuchipudi recital by 20 students from the Sri Abhinaya Kuchipudi Academy in Hyderabad. Under the guidance of renowned dance guru Urvashi Satish, the dancers performed in perfect rhythm to devotional hymns in the newly developed Rajagopuram Mandapam. The temple authorities later honoured the troupe with prasadam and special darshan of the goddess.

Kanaka Durga temple authorities have made preparations for the auspicious ‘Ashada Masam Utsavams’, which began on Thursday and will continue till July 24. The temple authorities expect a large number of devotees during the occasion. Multiple festivities have been lined up in honour of Goddess Kanaka Durga.  Apart from the Ashada saare, the ‘Varahi Navratri’ (Gupta Navratri) will be observed from June 26 to July 4, followed by the ‘Sakambari Devi Utsavams’ from July 8 to 10.