Saraswathi Pushkaralu Commence At Kaleshwaram

The Saraswathi Pushkaralu, a revered river festival, today commenced with grand celebrations at Kaleshwaram, where the Godavari, Pranahita and the subterranean Saraswathi rivers converge forming the sacred Triveni Sangam, in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district.

The festivities officially began with a Ganapati Puja at the Kaleshwaram Triveni Sangam. The ceremonial Pushkara Snanam (holy dip) commenced at 5:44 am, led by Sri Madhavananda Saraswathi.

Among those who participated in the sacred bath were IT and Industries Minister Sridhar Babu and his spouse, district Collector Rahul Sharma, Bhupalpally MLA Gandra Satyanarayana Rao and High Court Justice Surapalli Nanda.

In the evening, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, along with his Cabinet ministers Konda Surekha, Ponnam Prabhakar, Sridhar Babu and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, took a holy dip in the river and offered a special Harathi to the sacred waters. After the bath, the Chief Minister had a darsan of Sri Kaleshwara Muktheeswara Swamy and offered special prayers to the deity. He also unveiled the monolithic statue of Saraswathi Devi installed at Pushkar ghat and inaugurated an 86-room complex built for the accommodation of devotees.

Later, the Chief Minister took part in the Saraswathi Harathi performed by priests, conducted in the style of the Ganga Harathi held at Kashi in Uttar Pradesh.

The State government has made elaborate arrangements for the Pushkaralu, which will continue until May 26. It has allocated Rs 35 crore for the festival. A temporary tent city has been set up to accommodate devotees for a fee. Arrangements have also been made for drinking water, sanitation, the construction of ghats, road repairs, parking facilities, and more.

During this festival, the Saraswathi Navaratna Mala Haarathi will be held at the Saraswathi Ghat daily from 6:45 pm to 7:35 pm, and various art and cultural programs are also being conducted.

Officials estimate that around 1.5 lakh devotees will visit each day. The TGSRTC has arranged special buses to Kaleshwaram from various parts of the State.