Kakinada:Thousands of devotees flocked to Durga temples in the erstwhile East and West Godavari districts on Friday, the ninth day of Dasara celebrations. Women devotees performed Kumkum poojas, while temple priests adorned the Goddesses in various Avatars, including Mahishasura Mardhini, Mahalakshmi, Rakthabijakshari, and others.At Sree Pitham in Kakinada, approximately 30,000 women participated in Kumkum poojas, led by its seer, Paripoornananda Saraswathi, during the Maha Shakthi Yagam. Swamiji announced that by Friday, 89,000 crores of Kumkum poojas had been completed, with projections of surpassing 100 crores by Saturday on Vijaya Dasami Day. On Thursday, the Maha Ashthami day, 60,000 women participated in the Yagam and performed Kumkum pooja. During his spiritual address, he emphasized the importance of focusing on poojas and seeking blessings from the Goddesses rather than on monetary offerings. He also mentioned that a celestial Kalyanam would be performed on Saturday, the last day of the Dasara celebrations.At the Ayyappa Swamy temple, women devotees offered prayers and performed Kumkum poojas to Goddess Kamakshi Devi, led by the temple manager, P. Gopalakrishna. Priests from the Kamakshi Temple in Kanchi, Tamil Nadu, sent auspicious coins for the poojas. The Goddess Kamakshi was bathed in purified water brought from 13 different rivers across the country. A Chandi Homam was also conducted at the temple.Temples such as Puruhuthika in Pithapuram, Manikyamba in Draksharama, Bala Tripura Sundari in Kakinada and Samalkota, Annapurna Devi at Visweswara Swamy Temple in Kakinada, as well as those in Annavaram, Bhimavaram, Palakollu, Penugonda, Amalapuram, Vadapalli, and Antarvedi, were filled with devotees, resonating with the chanting of hymns dedicated to the Goddesses.
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