Kanaka Durga Temple Vijayawada

Kanaka Durga is the guardian deity of Vijayawada and one of the most powerful Shakti shrines of Andhra Pradesh, sought for strength, prosperity and protection. The Dasara Navaratri festival here, with its daily divine forms of the goddess, is among the most spectacular in the south. The hill's association with Arjuna's penance to Shiva (Indrakeela) deepens its sanctity.

The Kanaka Durga temple crowns Indrakeeladri hill overlooking the Krishna river and the bustling city of Vijayawada. The goddess is worshipped as a swayambhu (self-manifested), eight-armed form of Durga slaying the demon Mahishasura, resplendent in gold ('kanaka'). The temple is one of the busiest Devi shrines in South India, and pilgrims often bathe in the Krishna at the foot of the hill before ascending for darshan. During Dasara (Navratri) the goddess is adorned in a different alankaram (form) each day, culminating in the grand Theppotsavam float festival on the river.