Krishna Pushkaralu Start; KCR, Naidu Take Dips

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu took a dip in the Krishna river today to mark the first day of the Krishna Pushkaralu festival.

Rao, along with his wife and other family members, took a dip at the Gondimalla ghat in the Mahbubnagar district while Naidu did the same at the Durga ghat in Vijayawada.

KCR then visited the Jogulamba temple in Alampur and offered prayers to its main deity. Speaking on the occasion, he promised that the temple would be developed after consultations with the archaeological department in the State.

Thousands of the faithful took a dip in the Krishna river on the first day of the pushkaralu and offered prayers in temples located along its banks. The ghats in both the Telugu states were bustling as scores of devotees thronged the river banks since the early hours. The numbers are expected to swell in the coming days, and the authorities are taking all possible measures to prevent tragedies such as the Pushkaralu stampede of 2015, in which 29 people had lost their lives and several were left injured.

For the 12-day festival, the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation will ply 1,365 special buses to various parts of the State. The South Central Railway will operate 655 special trains.