Visakhapatnam, (Samajweekly) A temple in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam has been decorated with currency notes and gold ornaments worth Rs 8 crore as part of Navratri celebrations.
The management committee of the Vasavi Kanyaka Parameswari temple decorated the walls and floor with the currency notes of Rs 3.5 crore and jewellery.
Wads of notes of various denominations ranging from Re 1 to Rs 2,000 were kept around the deity, on the floor, pasted to the walls and even hung from the ceiling.
According to the committee of this 135-year-old temple, the currency notes and gold ornaments are contributions from devotees and the same will be returned to them after the festivities.
This is not the first time that a temple in Andhra Pradesh has been decorated in this fashion to mark Dasara celebrations. Last year, the deity at Vasavi Kanyaka Parameswari temple in Nellore district was decked up with currency notes worth Rs 5.16 crore.
The organisers had adorned the deity with garlands and bouquets of origami flowers made from the currency notes of various denominations like Rs 2,000, Rs 500, Rs 200, Rs 100, Rs 50, and Rs 10 and colours.
A large number of devotees worship the deity in the avatar of ‘Dhanalakshmi’, the goddess of riches, during the Navratri celebrations.
Earlier, Kanyaka Parameswari temple in Telangana’s Jogulamba Gadwal district was decorated with currency notes amounting to Rs 1,11,11,111.
In 2017, the temple committee had made the offering in a similar arrangement with the currency notes amounting Rs 3,33,33,333.