Kanaka Durga Temple, Vijayawada

The Kanaka Durga temple sits atop Indrakeeladri hill on the banks of the Krishna in Vijayawada, dedicated to Goddess Durga in her form as Kanaka Durga ('the goddess of gold'). The earliest references appear in 8th-century Kavya literature; Adi Shankaracharya is said to have visited and consecrated the Sri Chakra at the goddess's feet. The Pandavas, in exile, are believed to have prayed here for victory in the Kurukshetra war. Dussehra (Sharadnavaratri, September/October) is the headline festival, drawing 1–1.5 million pilgrims over nine days. Each day the goddess is dressed in a different alankaram — Bala Tripura Sundari, Annapurna, Gayatri, Lalitha Tripura Sundari, Saraswati, Mahalakshmi, Durga, Mahishasura Mardini, and finally Raja Rajeshwari on the final day. The Theppotsavam (boat festival) on the Krishna river closes the celebration. Day-to-day, the temple is busy from 4 AM. The flat hill-top approach is now serviced by a steep ghat road and a 2,000-step pilgrim climb; many do the climb up and the road down. The view of the Krishna river, the Prakasam barrage, and the city below from the temple's observation point alone justifies the visit.