A Hindu temple honoring Kanaka Durga is known as Sri Kanaka Durgamma Devasthanam or Kanaka Durga Temple. The god in this temple is also known as Kanaka Durga in popular culture. The temple is situated on the Indrakeeladri Hills by the Krishna River in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. The Kanaka Durga on the Indrakeelaadri is mentioned in the Kaalika Purana, Durgaa Sapthashati, and other works of Vedic literature. The deity is characterized as Swayambhu, (self-manifested) in Triteeya Kalpa.
About Goddess
According to a well-known mythology, Kanaka Durga defeated the demonic King Mahishasura. It is stated that the locals found the demon threat to be intolerable. After performing extreme penance, Sage Indrakila begged the goddess to reside on his head and maintain watch over the evil demons when she first appeared. Durga established Indrakila as her permanent home in order to fulfill his request to slay the demons. Later, she also defeated Mahishasura, the demon king, liberating the Vijayawadans from evil.
The stunning 4-foot (1.2 m) tall (1.2 m) deity icon is decorated with sparkling decorations and vibrant flowers at the Kanakadurga temple. Her eight-armed form is shown in this image standing over the monster Mahishashura while brandishing her trident, each arm holding a potent weapon. The goddess personifies beauty at its finest.
Worship
Vijayawada and the Kanaka Durga Temple go hand in hand. It appears in the holy books.
Prakasam Barrage View of the Temple Complex. A neighboring temple lit up at night as seen from Prakasam Barrage
The deity in the Sri Kanaka Durgamma Devasthanam is recognized as Swayambhu or self-manifested, so considered to be exceedingly strong, according to the Hindu scriptures.
Varalakshmi Vratam is conducted every Friday during the month of Sraavanam with extra devotion. During this month, there are celebrations attended by more than 20,000 individuals.
During Dasara, also known as Navaratri, special pujas are done. Every year, the Dasara festival is observed in this temple. Many pilgrims participate in the vibrant festivities and take a sacrificial dip in the Krishna river. In the course of ten days (nine days of Navratri and one day of Dussehra), Kanaka Durga is worshipped in ten different forms.
The ten forms are:
- Swarna Kavachalankrita Durga
- Bala Tripurasundari
- Annapurna
- Gayatri
- Lalitha Tripura Sundari
- Saraswati
- Mahalakshmi
- Durga
- Mahishasura Mardini
- Raja Rajeshwari Devi
