Devotees buy lakhs of laddus at Vijayawada temple during Dasara

Temple authorities at the famous hill shrine in Vijayawada sold roughly four and a half lakh sweet offerings in a span of just forty-eight hours. The Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam on Indrakeeladri witnessed heavy crowds as the Dasara Navaratri festival drew massive numbers of visitors.

Sales Figures

Sales reached a peak on Friday, which marked the auspicious Moola Nakshatram day dedicated to Goddess Saraswati Devi, when around two and a half lakh sweets were purchased by pilgrims. An additional two lakh units were cleared on the seventh day of the celebrations on Saturday. Aside from the high-demand sweet, the temple also offered traditional items like pulihora and chakkara pongali at various counters set up across the hill.

New Technology

Visitors made wide use of a newly introduced automated dispensing machine that allows people to make digital payments and collect their share in seconds. Pilgrims noted that this new setup grants a limit of two sweets per person. Temple workers stated that long queues formed at all distribution points as people sought out the offerings.

Context

Major Hindu festivals across India routinely draw massive crowds to prominent temples, requiring special crowd management and fast-paying counters. The use of automated vending technology helps handle heavy pilgrim rushes during peak festive days.