The Bhavani Deeksha Viramana at the Kanakadurga Temple ended on a grand and smoothly managed note, with record numbers of devotees visiting Indrakeeladri. Seeing the huge turnout, temple authorities announced plans to introduce full-fledged online services for devotees, similar to the system followed by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).
The move aims to make darshan and other temple services easier and more organised throughout the year.
Temple executive officer Seena Nayak and Trust Board Chairman Borra Radhakrishna said the newly launched mobile app received a very good response during the programme. Encouraged by this, officials said the app will soon allow devotees to book darshan slots, buy prasadam, arrange parking, donate for annadanam and satrams, and book various sevas, according to a report by Time of India.
Rising footfall prompts digital push
The temple has been seeing a steady increase in visitors, with about 15,000 devotees on normal days and nearly 30,000 to 50,000 during festivals. Many devotees currently arrive without bookings and end up waiting for hours in queues. Officials believe the digital system will help reduce crowding and improve overall management, the report mentioned.
Under the proposed online platform, devotees will be able to pre-book darshan and order laddu and pulihora prasadam in advance. To support this initiative, computers and infrastructure worth nearly Rs 1 lakh have already been donated.
Over 5 lakh devotees took part in Bhavani Deeksha Viramana
Meanwhile, the Bhavani Deeksha Viramana held from December 11 to 15 witnessed an unprecedented turnout. Officials said 5.27 lakh Bhavani devotees took part, and the total number of visitors is expected to cross six lakh, including general devotees.
To manage the crowd, special counters, 19 prasadam outlets, three homa gundams and riverside bathing facilities were arranged. Nearly 3,000 police personnel were deployed round the clock to ensure safety and smooth conduct of the event.
Addressing a press conference at Indrakeeladri, NTR District Collector Lakshmisha said the Bhavani Deekshas were completed smoothly and without any major issues. He said the success was the result of careful planning and strong coordination among all departments, including Revenue, Police, Endowments and Municipal officials.
The Collector pointed to special arrangements made for devotees, such as unlimited laddu distribution, continuous annaprasadam, and better drinking water facilities across the temple premises. He said feedback from devotees would be welcomed to further improve services in the coming years and thanked all departments and media persons for their cooperation.