President Murmu offers prayers at Vijayawada's Kanaka Durga Temple
Synopsis
President Droupadi Murmu visited the Kanaka Durga Temple in Vijayawada during the Dasara season, receiving Vedic blessings and sacred offerings from temple priests. She is set to inaugurate the national SARAS Mela on Thursday — a 600-stall showcase of self-help group products — spotlighting the Centre's rural women's empowerment agenda.
Key Takeaways
President Droupadi Murmu offered prayers at the Kanaka Durga Temple , Vijayawada , on Wednesday night, 15 October 2026 .
She received Veda Ashirvachanam blessings and was presented with silk sarees , a shawl , and a portrait of Goddess Kanaka Durga .
The President will inaugurate the national-level SARAS Mela at Punnami Ghat on Thursday, 16 October 2026 .
The mela will feature more than 600 stalls displaying products made by women from self-help groups across India.
Following the inauguration, she will attend a luncheon with SHG members and 'Lakhpati Didis' .
President Droupadi Murmu offered prayers at the iconic Kanaka Durga Temple atop Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, on Wednesday night, 15 October 2026, as part of her two-day visit to the state. The President arrived at Gannavaram Airport from Delhi aboard a special aircraft before travelling by road to the revered hilltop shrine.
Temple Visit and Rituals
Upon arrival at Indrakeeladri, President Murmu was welcomed by Andhra Pradesh Home and Disaster Management Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, Member of Parliament Kesineni Chinni, temple chairman Radhakrishna, Executive Officer Sheena Naik, and other temple officials. She greeted devotees standing in queues with folded hands as she proceeded toward the sanctum sanctorum.
Temple priests conducted various rituals and performed puja inside the sanctum. Following the darshan, Vedic scholars rendered Veda Ashirvachanam — a traditional benediction — and presented the President with silk sarees, a shawl, and a portrait of Goddess Kanaka Durga.
High-Level Reception at Gannavaram Airport
President Murmu received a ceremonial welcome upon landing at Gannavaram Airport. Among those present were Governor S. Abdul Nazeer, Union Minister of State for Rural Development and Communications Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, Minister of State for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan, State Minister for Mines, Geology, and Excise Kollu Ravindra, Chief Secretary G. Sai Prasad, Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta, Krishna District Collector D.K. Balaji, and District Superintendent of Police V. Vidya Sagar Naidu. She subsequently travelled to Vijayawada in a special vehicle with a security escort.
SARAS Mela Inauguration on Thursday
President Murmu is scheduled to inaugurate the national-level SARAS Mela — Sale of Articles of Rural Artisans Society — at Punnami Ghat in Vijayawada on Thursday, 16 October 2026. The event is organised jointly by the Union Ministry of Rural Development and the Andhra Pradesh government.
The mela will feature more than 600 stalls showcasing products crafted by women belonging to self-help groups (SHGs) from across the country. Following the inauguration, the President will attend a luncheon with SHG members and 'Lakhpati Didis' — women entrepreneurs who have crossed an annual income milestone of ₹1 lakh under the Centre's flagship rural livelihood programme.
Significance of the Visit
The Kanaka Durga Temple, one of the most prominent Shakti shrines in South India, draws millions of pilgrims annually, particularly during the Dasara season. A presidential visit during this period carries both religious and symbolic weight, underscoring the cultural importance of the Navratri–Vijayadasami calendar in Andhra Pradesh's public life. The SARAS Mela component of the trip also highlights the Centre's continued push to showcase rural women's economic empowerment through the self-help group network, which reportedly spans over 10 crore households nationally.
Point of View
But the more substantive story lies in Thursday's SARAS Mela: with over 600 stalls and a 'Lakhpati Didi' luncheon, the visit is as much a policy showcase as a pilgrimage. The Centre has repeatedly used high-profile inaugurations to signal the SHG ecosystem's scale, yet questions persist about whether income benchmarks for 'Lakhpati Didis' translate into sustained economic mobility. President Murmu's presence amplifies political messaging around rural women's empowerment at a time when the government is keen to demonstrate grassroots returns from its flagship rural livelihood programmes.
NationPress
14 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did President Murmu visit Vijayawada?
President Droupadi Murmu visited Vijayawada on 15 October 2026 to offer prayers at the Kanaka Durga Temple and to inaugurate the national-level SARAS Mela at Punnami Ghat on 16 October 2026. The two-day visit combines a religious stop during the Dasara season with a programmatic event focused on rural women's livelihoods.
What is the SARAS Mela and who organises it?
SARAS Mela — Sale of Articles of Rural Artisans Society — is a national-level fair jointly organised by the Union Ministry of Rural Development and the respective state government. It provides women from self-help groups across the country a platform to display and sell their products, with this edition featuring more than 600 stalls in Vijayawada.
Who are 'Lakhpati Didis' and why are they significant?
'Lakhpati Didis' are women entrepreneurs within the self-help group network who have achieved an annual household income of at least ₹1 lakh under the Centre's rural livelihood programmes. The government has used this category as a measurable indicator of economic empowerment, and President Murmu's luncheon with them underscores its political and policy salience.
Which officials received President Murmu in Vijayawada?
Governor S. Abdul Nazeer, Union Minister of State Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, Minister of State Kamlesh Paswan, Chief Secretary G. Sai Prasad, Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta, and several district and state officials received the President at Gannavaram Airport. At Indrakeeladri, Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha and MP Kesineni Chinni led the welcome.
What rituals were performed for the President at Kanaka Durga Temple?
Temple priests conducted pujas inside the sanctum sanctorum and performed various Vedic rituals. Vedic scholars then rendered Veda Ashirvachanam — a traditional Vedic benediction — and presented President Murmu with silk sarees, a shawl, and a portrait of Goddess Kanaka Durga as sacred offerings.
