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The three-day Sakambari festival began on a grand note at the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamyvarla Devasthanam here on July 19 (Friday).
The festival is a special occasion for transforming the presiding deity, Goddess Kanaka Durga, into Sakambari Devi with fruit, vegetable, leaf and floral adornments.
The temple has been organising the festival since 2007 and it is aimed at propitiating the presiding deities for good rains, bountiful harvest and copious yield of vegetables and to ensure that there is no dearth of irrigation water.
The priests adorned the idol of Goddess Kanaka Durga with all types of vegetables on the occasion. The entire temple premises too has been decorated with vegetables such as brinjal, cucumber, ivy gourd, lemons, and ridge gourd. A garland of green chillies is also among many vegetable garlands used for the decoration.
The temple received 28,850 kg vegetables from donors from places such as Eluru, Tadepalligudem, Tanuku, Siddhantam, Madiki, Kothapeta, Nuzvid, Hanuman Junction, Chinna Ogirala, Uyyur, Yadlapalli, Vijayawada and Guntur. The temple authorities, however, expected donation of around 34,000 kg.
‘’There is a mention of Sakambari Devi in Durga Saptasathi and Devi Bhagavatham, hence the festival is being organised. According to a legend, the goddess defeated Dhuroorudu, a demon responsible for famine. She shed tears on seeing the travails of people, which led to a glut of food grains and vegetables. Since then, devotees have been decorating Her with vegetables,’‘ say temple priests.
