The abode of Goddess Kanaka Durga on Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada came alive on Wednesday with Gajula Alankaram, the annual decoration of the presiding deity with coloured glass bangles, performed on Kartika Shuddha Dwitiya, the day observed as Bhagini Hasta Bhojanam.
Accounts differed on the scale of the effort. One report said more than eight lakh bangles had been used this year, while another put the figure at upwards of six lakh. Both agreed the number was sharply higher than last year, when the temple used a little over four lakh bangles; one account put the 2025 figure at 4.35 lakh. Temple Executive Officer V.K. Seena Naik said the count had been doubled this year so that the main deity and the temple premises could both be decorated, against roughly four lakh the previous year.
The bangles, in green, red, yellow and blue, were strung into garlands and arranged in elaborate decorative patterns across the sanctum sanctorum as well as the corridors, ceilings and sub-shrines of the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam. Mr. Naik, who inspected the arrangements on the sixth floor of the Maha Mantapam, said all preparations had been completed in keeping with temple traditions and customs.
Devotees and donors contributed bangles in large quantities, and the temple administration said it had made additional arrangements to meet the requirement. It said more bangles would be procured if supplies fell short. Officials expected about 80,000 devotees to pass through the temple during the day.
Officials kept watch on the queues, on drinking water supply and on the handing out of prasadam, so that devotees could move through the temple smoothly. The administration said special arrangements had been made for the expected rush, with counters and water points running through the day.
Women travelled from different parts of the State and queued at the temple to see the deity in the special alankaram. After the rituals, bangles blessed before the Goddess were handed to them as prasadam.
One report said the bangle decoration at the temple dates to 2016 and has grown steadily since, with participation rising each year and the scale of the display expanding with it.
The day, also linked to Yama Dwitiya, is celebrated as a festival of siblings. In the mythology, Yama visits his sister Yamuna, eats the meal she has cooked and, moved by her affection, grants a boon for the well-being and long life of brothers who visit their sisters and share a meal with them.
(With inputs from media reports)