01Arjuna’s hill
The Mahabharata tells how Arjuna did tapas on Indrakila to win the Pashupata astra, and how Shiva came to test him as a Kirata, a mountain hunter, and fought him before giving the weapon. The people of Vijayawada hold that this hill is that Indrakila and that the city is named for Vijaya, Arjuna, and his victory here. The temple’s own katha says Durga killed the asura Mahishasura on this hill and stayed at the request of the rishi Indrakila, shining gold, Kanaka. The Mallikarjuna shrine higher up is visited in the same climb.
02Dasara on the river
At Navaratri the Devi is dressed each day in a different form, ending as Mahishasuramardini and, on Vijayadashami, Rajarajeshwari. On the last evening her festival murti is taken out on a decorated float on the Krishna, the Teppotsavam, while the ghats below the hill fill with lamps. The Krishna Pushkaram, held once in twelve years when Brihaspati enters Kanya, brings lakhs to the same ghats; the last was in August 2016.
The life of this place
- August 2016The Krishna Pushkaram is held on the ghats below the hill.
Steps, a ghat road and buses climb Indrakeeladri from the river side. Navaratri darshan queues are very long; go early.
