Bhavani devotees throng Indrakeeladri; Durga temple drops paid darshan

Thousands of Bhavani devotees, dressed in red and completing their vows, crowded the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam, the Kanaka Durga temple on Indrakeeladri hill in Vijayawada, on Sunday, October 25, 2026, forcing the temple to change its darshan arrangements for the day. Temple authorities cancelled Antaralaya darshan, the closer view of the deity from the inner hall, from the morning, and after the noon Maha Nivedana offering they cancelled all categories of paid special-entry darshan tickets, allowing only the free Sarva Darshan queue for the rest of the day. Local reports said the step was taken to give ordinary pilgrims and Bhavani Deeksha devotees greater access to the goddess.

Kanaka Durga on Indrakeeladri is a major goddess temple of Andhra Pradesh, and the weeks after Dasara are among its busiest. Many devotees take the Bhavani Deeksha, a vow of discipline in honour of the goddess in her form as Bhavani. During the vow they wear red clothes and keep religious observances, and then travel to Vijayawada to complete it before the goddess. The completion, called Viramana, brings large numbers of people to the hill within a short period.

The decision to suspend paid tickets is a practical answer to a familiar problem at crowded temples. Special-entry tickets let those who pay reach the deity faster, but on days of very heavy rush they can slow the free queue further and cause frustration among pilgrims who have walked or travelled long distances. Suspending them, even for a day, keeps all devotees in one line and gives priority to those who have come to fulfil a vow. It also helps crowd safety, since fewer separate queues on a hill temple mean fewer pinch points.

For readers, the episode shows how a living tradition shapes the running of a major temple. Because devotees complete their vows over a period of weeks rather than on one fixed day, the crowd builds and stays high instead of peaking once. The temple must therefore adjust its schedule on the go, balancing ritual timings such as the noon Maha Nivedana against the number of people waiting outside.

Short-term: Pilgrims planning a visit to Indrakeeladri in the coming days should expect long queues and possible changes to ticketed darshan on weekends, and should check the temple's announcements before travelling.

Long-term: Crowds of this size, more than 2 million visitors in the post-Dasara period by one local count, add to the case for better queue systems, rest areas and transport on and around the hill.

Who is affected: Bhavani Deeksha devotees and other pilgrims, temple staff and police managing crowds, and residents and traders around Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada.

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