A Goddess who answers prayers

The belief that every prayer be answered here made Sri Kanaka Mahalakshmi temple most popular not just among the locals but also those from various parts of the state who frequent the shrine.

Located in the middle of the road in Visakhapatnam, the temple's history dates back to 1912. With no 'gopuram' or roof at the sanctum sanctorum, prayers are offered to the Goddess in the presence of five elements (panchabhootalu) and devotees can perform 'abhishekam' themselves. In deference to the Goddess's wish to set up the idol sans a ceiling, the sanctum sanctorum of Sri Kanaka Mahalakshmi remains open and the only veil that covers the idol from the devotees is the long curtains.

The ongoing 'Margasiramasam' is the period where the temple draws scores of devotees from across places and Thursdays during the month are considered auspicious. "Legend has it that consecration of the self-manifested Goddess happened during the same month on a Thursday. Hence Thursdays during the month gain significance for the single-armed 'Ammavaru'. There is no roof at the sanctum sanctorum as it is believed that the Goddess wished to be in the open place wherein the 'devatas' from heaven can also view her," explains Kodamanchili Srinvisa Sarma, chief priest of the temple.

'Trikalarchana' for thrice a day, 'panchmruta abhishekam', 'panchaharatulu', 'Lakshmi homam', 'Sri Chakrarchna' and mass 'kumkumarchana' are some of the rituals followed throughout Margasiramasam. Over 40,000 devotees visit the temple on Thursdays during the month. About 10,000 to 12,000 people offer prayers at the shrine during the rest of the days. "The biggest challenge is to facilitate amenities for the scores of devotees who descend on the temple during the season. There is a need for continuous monitoring as space constraints should not cause any inconvenience to the devotees. If we could improve the present amenities, there is a greater scope for increased footfall at the temple," opines CHV. Ramana, Deputy Executive Engineer of the Devasthanam.

According to the story narrated by the locals, the Goddess was found in a well. Legend has it that the Goddess appeared in some of the devotees' dreams and made known her wish to consecrate her idol in an open platform and in the middle of the road. The 'sthala puranam' narrates that the temple located in the middle of the road was once shifted to a corner. After which many lost their lives as they were affected by plague. Fearing that the replacement of the idol led to the sudden outbreak of the disease, the locals decided to bring back the idol to its original site. Later, the epidemic subsided and normal life resumed soon after. People believed that the Goddess finally showered her blessings on them. Since then, the devotees were found frequenting the temple to offer prayers.

As the temple is located amid a congested area, temple authorities say that taking up development works has become a challenging task for them. There is no parking facility and the temple officials say that amenities could be improved because of the space constraints.

Executive Officer (EO) of the devasthanam SJ Madhavi says that plans are in place to expand the temple precincts. "Efforts are on to make the temple visible from the main road. To make this a reality, we are planning to shift 22 buildings surrounding the temple premises next year. The expansion plan is taken up at an estimated cost of Rs.10 crore. Negotiations are on with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams to extend financial support for the project. Earlier, some of the buildings were acquired, queue lines were increased and other amenities were facilitated. With the expansion plans in the pipeline, improved amenities will be provided to the devotees in the days to come," the EO adds.

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