President Droupadi Murmu visited the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, on Wednesday evening and offered darshan of Sri Kanaka Durga Devi and Sri Malleswara Swamy during the Dasara Navaratri festivities.
She reached Vijayawada International Airport at Gannavaram by a special aircraft from Delhi at about 6.10 pm. At the airport, she was received by Governor S. Abdul Nazeer, Union Ministers of State Pemmasani Chandrasekhar and Kamlesh Paswan, State Ministers Kollu Ravindra and Vangalapudi Anitha, Chief Secretary G. Sai Prasad, Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta, and other senior officials.
From the airport, the President travelled by road to the hilltop shrine on Indrakeeladri. The temple welcomed her with Poorna Kumbham, Vedic chants and temple music. Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath (Chinni), Temple Trust Board Chairman Borra Radhakrishna, and Executive Officer V.K. Seena Naik received her, and she also greeted devotees waiting in the queues before entering the temple.
Priests and Vedic scholars escorted her into the sanctum sanctorum. For the occasion, Goddess Kanaka Durga was adorned as Sri Maha Chandi Devi as part of the ongoing Dasara Navaratri observances. The President offered special prayers and spent about eight minutes in worship, while the temple premises had been decorated with flowers for the visit.
After the darshan, Vedic scholars offered blessings at the Ashirvachana Mandapam and presented prasadam. Temple Executive Officer Seena Naik presented a portrait of the Goddess, while Minister Anitha offered sacred silk robes. The President also received laddu prasadam and other traditional offerings.
The official account of the President of India confirmed the visit, saying: “President Droupadi Murmu visited Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh and had darshan of Sri Kanaka Durga Devi and Sri Malleswara Swamy.”
The visit was part of a two-day official tour of Andhra Pradesh coinciding with the Dasara Navaratri Utsavams. On Thursday, October 15, the President is scheduled to inaugurate the National Saras Aajeevika Mela at Punnami Ghat on the banks of the Krishna River as chief guest between 11.30 am and 1 pm. The mela is being organised jointly by the Union Ministry of Rural Development and the Andhra Pradesh government under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), with a focus on products made by rural artisans and women-led self-help groups, before she departs for New Delhi from Gannavaram Airport.
