₹3.35 crore hundi collection in 18 days at Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam
Vijayawada: The Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam, situated on the Indrakeeladri hill, has seen a hundi collection of ₹3.35 crore in the last 18 days, reflecting the steady flow of devotees to the Kanaka Durga temple. Temple officials counted the offerings on Wednesday and said that devotees gave ₹3,35,86,637 in cash during this period. Besides, devotees offered 302 grams of gold and 3.010 kilograms of silver to the deity. Officials said the average daily income of the temple during this period was ₹18,65,924.28.
The hundi also contained foreign currencies of 14 countries, reflecting the popularity of the temple among devotees abroad. The offerings included US$1,337, British Pounds 55, Malaysian Ringgits 10, Singapore Dollars 132, UAE Dirhams 335, Australian Dollars 55, Kuwaiti Dinars 60.5, Qatari Riyals 220, Hong Kong Dollars 20, Mauritian Rupees 200, Canadian Dollars 240, Saudi Riyal 1, Bahraini Dinar 100, and Philippine Pesos 100.
Meanwhile, temple officials conducted a field inspection to assess the facilities for pilgrims taking the holy dip at Durga Ghat on the banks of the Krishna River. Executive Officer and Special Grade Deputy Collector V.K. Seena Naik, along with Executive Engineer Rama Devi, inspected the area around the ghat and reviewed the arrangements to facilitate the movement of pilgrims. The officials also discussed improving the existing subway leading to the ghat and creating new routes to ease congestion during the pilgrim rush.
