This year’s Dussehra celebrations at Indrakeeladri, home to the famed Kanaka Durga Temple, promise to be unlike any before, where the tradition will meet cutting-edge technology. Authorities have launched a dedicated mobile app, Dasara 2025, and an AI-powered WhatsApp chatbot to provide pilgrims with real-time information and essential services, ensuring that lakhs of devotees attending the Sharan Navaratri Utsavams can experience smooth and safe darshan.

The festivities are scheduled from September 22 to October 2, drawing devotees from across Andhra Pradesh and beyond. With crowds swelling to record numbers every Navratri, temple authorities, police, and district administration are banking on technology to prevent congestion, reduce inconvenience, and enhance security.

Available on both Play Store and App Store, the Dasara 2025 app offers a one-stop platform for pilgrims. It provides details of darshan timings, ticket booking options, puja schedules, and photos of daily alankarams of Goddess Kanaka Durga. The app also integrates maps and navigation tools, guiding devotees to prasadam counters, annadanam halls, parking lots, and bus facilities, with live updates on crowd density and queue status.

Real-time alerts and emergency announcements will also be pushed through the app, covering medical services, police assistance, fire safety points, and other essential facilities. For the first time, bus services operated by the temple can be live-tracked through the platform, helping devotees plan their journey to and from Indrakeeladri.

Complementing the app is an AI-based WhatsApp chatbot available at 94418 20717. Devotees can simply save the number, send a message saying Amma or Hi, and instantly receive language options, Telugu or English. The chatbot then opens a menu with options such as darshan, donations, grievances, facilities, services, and festivals. By selecting a category, devotees receive comprehensive information directly in their WhatsApp chat.

This virtual assistant is designed to handle a wide range of queries, from VIP darshan details and prasadam counter locations to real-time queue updates and feedback submission. Officials say every service listed in the app is mirrored in the chatbot for maximum accessibility.

Beyond digital tools, festival arrangements include AI cameras, drone surveillance, and RFID wristbands for children to ensure their safety amid heavy crowds. The RFID bands will allow authorities to quickly trace missing children. Meanwhile, drones will monitor high-density areas such as queue lines, parking zones, and ghats, with live feeds linked to a central Command Control Room.

Temple Executive Officer Naik stated that arrangements for drinking water, milk, and annaprasadam in queue lines have been made to ensure pilgrims’ comfort. Police have drawn up a separate crowd management plan to prevent disruptions caused by VIP visits, aiming to give ordinary devotees unhindered access to darshan.

The Endowments Department has emphasized that the technology roll-out is not just about modernisation but about enhancing the spiritual journey itself. “Our goal is to make every devotee’s experience smooth and fulfilling. The app, chatbot, and AI systems are designed to remove obstacles, leaving pilgrims free to focus on devotion,” said EO Seena Naik.