KCR performed rituals and harati to Godavari with seven pontiffs
Minister Harish Rao and his wife at Bhadrachalam
KARIMNAGAR: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao formally flagged off the state’s maiden 12-day long Maha Pushkaralu, by taking a dip in Godavari River after performing certain traditional rituals, amid vedic hymns pronounced by several pontiffs and priests in temple town Dharmapuri on Tuesday morning. He was accompanied by his family members, Endowments minister A. Indrakaran Reddy and Government Whip K. Eshwar. However, residents of Dharmapuri were upset because they had expected to make a few promises for the town, and he did not oblige them.
Mr Rao along with his wife Shobha, grandchildren and younger brother’s son and daughter-in-law was taken to VVIP ghat in a procession at 6 am. He had a holy dip in the river after performing rituals and harati to goddess of Godavari with seven pontiffs and priests of Sri Laxmi Narasimha Swamy chanting vedic hymns at 6.21 am.
Later, he observed special prayers in the ancient shrine. He left for Hyderabad after inaugurating a pylon erected to mark celebration of the event at around 9.30 am. Finance minister Etela Rajender along with his wife, commercial tax minister T. Srinivas Yadav and Manthani legislator Putta Madhu commenced the worship of river in Kaleshwaram.
MLAs K. Vidyasagar, T. Jeevan Reddy, S. Satyanarayana and Putta Madhu launched this event in their respective constituencies, which are located on the banks of the river. Home minister N. Narasimha Reddy, ministers Jagadishwar Reddy and Jupalli Krishna Rao had a dip in the river at Kaleshwarm.
Devotees forced to walk 4 km:
Devotees who came to the Mangapet pushkar ghat for taking holy bath in the river Godavari on Tuesday expressed displeasure over the arrangements made at the ghat. Many were not happy with the police not allowing any private vehicles beyond Mangapet village. Due to this, the elderly, children and all the devotees are forced to walk for four kilometres to reach pushkar ghat.
Collector Vakati Karuna announced that shuttle services will be arranged for the convenience of the devotees at Mangapet with 10 buses. But only three mini buses were seen ferrying the devotees and were not enough as the devotees came in large numbers. As a result there was mad rush for the buses and the devotees who could not get on the bus had to take the long walk up to the pushkar ghats. Devotees termed the arrangements made by the government a complete failure.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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