The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : All roads lead to Sri Kanaka Mahalakshmi temple

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Thursday, Dec 18, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

All roads lead to Sri Kanaka Mahalakshmi temple

Maasanam Margaseersham goes a Sanskrit adage, meaning that the month of Maargasira is the best among the 12 months of the year. Winter is a welcome feature with its pleasant entry compared to the torrid summers in South India, which makes Maargasira take pride of place.

If there is any place in the world the month of Maargasira is celebrated on a grand scale, it is Visakhapatnam. For, the month is associated with the presiding deity of the city Sri Kanakamahalakshmi with the temple for the Goddess famous in the region. A unique feature of the temple is that it does not have the traditional gopuram that is mandatory with most of the temples in India. It lay in the open, in the middle of the road to be precise. And devotees are found to touch the idol and perform abhishekam and puja themselves, unlike at other temples

According to legend, just a century ago Visakhapatnam was a small village ruled by Visakha kings. The rulers had their fort in old city and so the area came to be known as Burujupeta. In a narrow road of Burujupeta was the idol and children used to play around it. Even when the road was widened in 1912, the idol still lay in the middle. However, after some time, the civic authorities shifted it to a corner, about 30 feet away. Later, in 1917, the city was hit by plague that took a heavy toll. Public strongly felt disaster struck them on account of shifting the idol from the middle of the street. They promptly brought back the idol to the original place. As people fast recovered from the dreaded disease soon, they started worship of the idol.

In expansion mode

The temple is on expansion mode ever since, thanks to philanthropists and local people in the area who ceded their properties for the purpose. Many sponsors have also come forward and the idol now also has a gold covering. Though Maargasira maasam is important, Thursdays in particular during the month are said to be auspicious when people make a beeline to the shrine which is open round-the-clock on those days. The third Thursday is considered very auspicious when special arrangements are made for the devotees who wait patiently in serpentine queues to take their turn to have a darshan of the Goddess Who appears without a left arm which was perhaps broken during shifting.

Programmes

Apart from daily pujas and abhishekams and special alankarams to the idol, cultural programmes, religious discourses, and devotional music and dance programmes are arranged at a specially erected stage near the temple. Inside the temple at the anivetti mandapam, an idol of Goddess Lakshmi will adorn Ashtalakshmi Alankaram towards the end of the month. This year, it began on Wednesday in the form of Adilakshmi with Dhanyalakshmi, Dhairyalakshmi, Gajalakshmi, Santhanalakshmi, Vijayalakshmi, Vidyalakshmi and Dhanalakshmi to follow in that order till Dec. 24. On the last three days, the idol is decorated as Sri Kanakamahalakshmi, according to executive officer of the temple, Ch.V. Krishnajirao. An expert in decoration, Ananthacharyulu from Alur in Nellore district is specially engaged in Ashtalakshmi alankaram, he said. On the last Thursday on Dec. 25, a community lunch for 10,000 devotees is being arranged by the temple authorities. A ‘veda sabha’ will be held on Dec. 21 and the celebrations will conclude on Dec. 27.

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