12-day Saraswati Pushkaralu kicks off in Kaleshwaram
The 12-day Saraswati Pushkaralu, a Kumbh Mela-like ritual for Saraswati river kick-started at the temple town Kaleshwaram, the abode of Sri Kaleshwara Sri Mukteswara Swamy temple in Telangana's Jayashankar Bhupalpally district, on Thursday.
The once in 12-year mega religious event began at 5.44 am with Ganapathi puja, ankurarpanam, and other holy rituals amid chanting of Vedic hymns by the priests of the historic Sri Kaleshwara Sri Mukteswara Swamy temple.
Madhavananda Saraswati of Sri Gurumadananda Saraswati Peetham performed special rituals marking the start of the event, which is dedicated to worshipping the subterranean Saraswati river, which converges with the Godavari and the Pranahita at the confluence point called 'Triveni Sangamam' in Kaleshwaram,
Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy took a holy dip at the Triveni Sangamam and unveil the statue of Goddess Saraswati. He also witnessed the 'Saraswati Nava Ratnamala Harathi' ritual at Saraswati Ghat.
Addressing the devotees after performing to the presiding deity of the Kaleshwaram temple, the chief minister said it was for the first time that the state government was organising 'Saraswati Pushkaralu' since the formation of Telangana in 2014, as part of preserving our culture and traditions.
'I am very much delighted and fortunate that such a big religious event is organised during my tenure. Rivers not only reflect our civilisation but are also considered as gods,' Revanth Reddy said, adding that the state government was gearing up to celebrate Godavari Pushkaralu scheduled to be held next year.
The chief minister announced allocation of ₹200 crore for the development of Kaleshwaram temple area and promote it as a big tourist destination before Godavari Pushkaralu. 'We shall release funds through the green channel for the event next year,' he said.
Justice Surepalli Nanda of the Telangana high court, IT and industries minister D Sridhar Babu and Bhupalpally MLA Gandra Satyanarayana Rao were among those who took the holy dip at 'Triveni Sangamam' soon after the initiatory rituals. Spiritual leaders, eminent personalities and public representatives took part.
The entire temple town has been decked up befitting the occasion with a tent city coming up along the sprawling bathing ghats in the historic pilgrimage centre. The authorities informed that the 12-day event will witness River Harathi, by pandits of the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi of Uttar Pradesh and a host of devotional programmes.
Sridhar Babu told reporters that around 50 special officers have been appointed to oversee the sanitation measures during the 12-day event. Dozens of ace swimmers and traditional boats have been deployed along the river course in the temple town to ensure the safety of the pilgrims. Around 3,500 police personnel have been deployed for bandobust, and as many as 200 CCTV cameras have been installed in the temple town, he said.
Arrangements have been put in place for drone-aided surveillance on the temple town as a safety precaution. NDRF, SDRF and Singareni rescue teams have been stationed in the temple town, he added.
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