Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam (Kanaka Durga Temple)
Indrakeeladri hill, Vijayawada, NTR district · Goddess Kanaka Durga (Durga as Mahishasura Mardini), with Lord Malleswara Swamy (Shiva)
The golden goddess of Vijayawada, on Indrakeeladri hill above the Krishna river.
Kanaka Durga is the presiding goddess of Vijayawada and one of the most visited Shakti temples in South India, second in Andhra Pradesh only to Tirumala in footfall and income. The temple stands on Indrakeeladri, a rocky hill on the north bank of the Krishna next to the Prakasam Barrage, with a shrine of Malleswara Swamy (Shiva) beside the goddess. Its Dasara (Navaratri) festival, when the goddess is dressed as a different form each day, and the Bhavani Deeksha in winter draw lakhs of devotees.
Timings
- Temple opens: approx. 4:00 AM (Suprabhatam and Khadgamalarchana)
- Darshan: approx. 5:30/6:00 AM – 9:30/10:00 PM, with short closures for naivedyam (around noon)
- Pancha Harathulu: approx. 6:00 PM
- Temple closes: approx. 10:00 PM (after Pavalimpu Seva)
Darshan types and costs
- Sarva (Dharma) Darshan – Free
- Mukha Mandapam darshan – approx. ₹100
- Seeghra darshan – approx. ₹300
- Antaralaya darshan – ₹500 (raised from ₹300 and made permanent, per news reports)
Sevas and costs
- Khadgamalarchana – approx. ₹5,116 (Check official site) (Daily, approx. 4:00 – 5:00 AM)
- Suprabhata Seva – approx. ₹300 (Check official site) (Daily, pre-dawn (approx. 4:00 AM))
- Kumkumarchana – approx. ₹200 – ₹500 (Check official site) (Daily, morning sessions (approx. 7:00 AM – 12:00 noon) at the Mahamandapam)
- Laksha Kumkumarchana – approx. ₹1,000 (Check official site) (Daily (approx. 7:30 AM) and special days)
- Chandi Homam – approx. ₹1,000 (Check official site) (Daily morning (approx. 8:45 AM) in the yagasala)
- Srichakra Navavaranarchana – approx. ₹1,000 (Check official site) (Daily morning)
- Shanti Kalyanam – approx. ₹1,000 (Check official site) (Daily morning)
- Rudra Homam / Mrityunjaya Homam / Ganapathi Homam – approx. ₹1,000 each (Check official site) (Daily morning)
- Malleswara Swamy Panchamrutha Abhishekam – approx. ₹500 (Check official site) (Daily morning)
- Pancha Harathulu – approx. ₹500 (Check official site) (Daily, approx. 6:00 PM)
- Pallaki Seva and Pavalimpu Seva – approx. ₹516 each (Check official site) (Pallaki approx. 7:00 PM; Pavalimpu approx. 9:00 PM)
- Ammavari Vastram Seva – approx. ₹25,000 (Check official site) (Early morning (approx. 3:30 AM), by booking)
- Swarna Pushparchana – approx. ₹2,500 (Check official site) (Thursdays)
- Varalakshmi Vratam (Sravana Fridays) – approx. ₹1,500 (Check official site) (Fridays in Sravana masam (July/August), approx. 7:00 – 9:00 AM)
How to book darshan
Darshan tickets, sevas, paroksha (virtual) sevas and donations are booked on the official Devasthanam website or at counters at the temple with photo ID. The AP Endowments portal also links to the temple.
Kanaka Durga Devasthanam official site
Dress code
Traditional, modest clothing is expected and is mandatory for sevas and VIP/antaralaya darshan: men in dhoti or pyjama with shirt/kurta, women in saree or churidar with dupatta. Avoid shorts, sleeveless tops and torn jeans.
Best time to visit
October – March for weather. Fridays and Sundays are busy. Dasara (Sep/Oct) is spectacular but extremely crowded; Bhavani Deeksha Viramana (Dec/Jan) brings several lakh devotees.
How to reach
- air: Vijayawada International Airport (Gannavaram), about 20 km.
- rail: Vijayawada Junction, about 3 km; one of the busiest junctions in India.
- road: Pandit Nehru Bus Station is about 2 km. Free Devasthanam buses run from the foot of the hill (Kanakadurga Nagar/Arjuna Street) up the ghat road; there are also steps and lifts. Private vehicles may be restricted on peak days.
Festivals
- Dasara (Sarannavaratri) – Sep/Oct (2026: about 11–20 October)
- Bhavani Deeksha Viramana – December/January
- Sakambari Utsavam – Ashada (June/July)
- Ashada Saare – Ashada (June/July)
- Varalakshmi Vratam – Sravana Fridays (July/August)
- Sivaratri at Malleswara – Feb/March