This tradition of decorating the goddess with gold and cash during Dussehra has been observed by the temple for a long time.
Visakhapatnam: You must have seen several beautiful temples decorated with flowers. However, as part of the ongoing Navratri celebrations in Andhra Pradesh, a 135-yr-old temple of Goddess Vasavi Kanyaka Parameswari has gone the extravagant way. In pictures that have gone viral, the temple has been decorated with currency notes and gold ornaments worth crores. Administrators of the temple decorated the goddess with Rs 2 crores and 16 lakh. Along with the goddess, the entire temple is also decorated with currency notes. Bundles of notes can be seen hanging on trees and from the ceiling which grabs the eyeballs of the devotees.
Visakhapatnam, Andhra | A 135-yr-old temple of Goddess Vasavi Kanyaka Parameswari decorated with currency notes & gold ornaments worth Rs 8 cr for Navratri
“It’s public contribution & will be returned once the puja is over. It won’t go to temple trust,” says the Temple committee pic.twitter.com/1nWfXQwW7c
— ANI (@ANI) September 30, 2022
The temple has been observing the tradition of decorating the goddess with gold and cash during Dussehra for a long time. Its administrators said that they started with Rs 11 lakh and have increased the amount every year.
“It’s a public contribution and will be returned once the puja is over. It won’t go to temple trust,” said the temple committee.
Vasavi Kanyaka Parameshvari is a Hindu goddess, recognized by her adherents as a form of Parvati, and sometimes also identified as a form of Lakshmi in Vaishnava tradition. There is no authentic version of Vasavi’s legend, and different versions exist amongst classes that are both Komati and non-Komati. The oral accounts sung by bards vary amongst regions, religious sects, castes, and sub-castes.
(With ANI Inputs)
