VARANASI: The district administration has intensified the preparations to host a huge congregation of people from South India for the 12-day Ganga Pushkaralu festival commencing from April 22.
During this festival a mega congregation of pilgrims from Telugu-speaking region of the country will take place on the banks of river Ganga to worship rivers and their ancestors. Kashi and Haridwar, witness a turnout of lakhs of people from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana during this festival.
District magistrate S Rajalingam convened a meeting with the chief development officer, deputy commissioner of police, additional deputy commissioner of police, representatives of South India settled in Varanasi on Saturday evening to discuss the arrangements for the forthcoming Ganga Pushkaralu festival.
The DM said that as pilgrims reach from Telugu regions to perform rituals of Pindadaan after bathing in river Ganga, all necessary arrangements including toilets, changing rooms, drinking water, rescue teams including divers, medical team and police for crowd regulation should be finalised before the commencement of the festival.
In case of heavy congregation, the DM said, alternative arrangements for stay of pilgrims in schools, shelter homes, ashrams and other places should be done in advance. He also asked to make arrangements of buses, e-rickshaws and other public transport for the movement of pilgrims inside the city especially for reaching ghats along the Ganga, Kashi Vishwanath Dham and other prominent religious sites. Telugu and Tamil speaking persons would also be engaged for announcements, he added.
Regarding Pushkaralu a priest for the Telugu region in Kashi, Tulasi Manoj Joshi said, “The 12-day Pushkaralu fest of Telugu-speaking people will be held along the holy Ganga this year after a gap of 12 years. It will commence from April 22, 2023. Major religious centres along the Ganga, especially Kashi and Haridwar, witness a turnout of lakhs of Telugu people from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.”
“As per the legends, after severe penance a devotee Pushkara was blessed by Lord Shiv with the ability to live in water and purify holy rivers. On the request of Guru Brihaspati (Jupiter) in view of his abilities, Pushkara decided to enter 12 sacred rivers — Ganga, Narmada, Saraswati, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Bhima, Tapti, Tungbhadra, Sindhu and Pranhita. Each river has its zodiac sign. The river for each year’s festival is decided as per Brihaspati’s travel from one zodiac sign to another”, said Joshi.
The managing trustee of Ram Tarak Andhra Ashram, VV Sunder Shastri said, “Pushkaralu is celebrated for reverence of ancestors. After taking a dip in the holy river, pilgrims perform many other rituals, including those performed for the ancestors. Spiritual discourses, devotional music and cultural programmes are also organised during the festival.”
Shastri recalled, the city had faced chaos when the last Ganga Pushkaralu had taken place in 2011 and no prior arrangement was made to manage the crowd. “When a massive crowd of pilgrims started reaching from AP and Telangana region in 2011, traffic and other arrangements had gone out of gear as the then local authorities had not made any prior planning or arrangements for the occasion,” he added.
Before the forthcoming Pushkaralu, the city had witnessed a huge influx of people from all sections of society of Tamil Nadu during the month long Kashi-Tamil Sangamam held in November 2022.
During this festival a mega congregation of pilgrims from Telugu-speaking region of the country will take place on the banks of river Ganga to worship rivers and their ancestors. Kashi and Haridwar, witness a turnout of lakhs of people from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana during this festival.
District magistrate S Rajalingam convened a meeting with the chief development officer, deputy commissioner of police, additional deputy commissioner of police, representatives of South India settled in Varanasi on Saturday evening to discuss the arrangements for the forthcoming Ganga Pushkaralu festival.
The DM said that as pilgrims reach from Telugu regions to perform rituals of Pindadaan after bathing in river Ganga, all necessary arrangements including toilets, changing rooms, drinking water, rescue teams including divers, medical team and police for crowd regulation should be finalised before the commencement of the festival.
In case of heavy congregation, the DM said, alternative arrangements for stay of pilgrims in schools, shelter homes, ashrams and other places should be done in advance. He also asked to make arrangements of buses, e-rickshaws and other public transport for the movement of pilgrims inside the city especially for reaching ghats along the Ganga, Kashi Vishwanath Dham and other prominent religious sites. Telugu and Tamil speaking persons would also be engaged for announcements, he added.
Regarding Pushkaralu a priest for the Telugu region in Kashi, Tulasi Manoj Joshi said, “The 12-day Pushkaralu fest of Telugu-speaking people will be held along the holy Ganga this year after a gap of 12 years. It will commence from April 22, 2023. Major religious centres along the Ganga, especially Kashi and Haridwar, witness a turnout of lakhs of Telugu people from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.”
“As per the legends, after severe penance a devotee Pushkara was blessed by Lord Shiv with the ability to live in water and purify holy rivers. On the request of Guru Brihaspati (Jupiter) in view of his abilities, Pushkara decided to enter 12 sacred rivers — Ganga, Narmada, Saraswati, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Bhima, Tapti, Tungbhadra, Sindhu and Pranhita. Each river has its zodiac sign. The river for each year’s festival is decided as per Brihaspati’s travel from one zodiac sign to another”, said Joshi.
The managing trustee of Ram Tarak Andhra Ashram, VV Sunder Shastri said, “Pushkaralu is celebrated for reverence of ancestors. After taking a dip in the holy river, pilgrims perform many other rituals, including those performed for the ancestors. Spiritual discourses, devotional music and cultural programmes are also organised during the festival.”
Shastri recalled, the city had faced chaos when the last Ganga Pushkaralu had taken place in 2011 and no prior arrangement was made to manage the crowd. “When a massive crowd of pilgrims started reaching from AP and Telangana region in 2011, traffic and other arrangements had gone out of gear as the then local authorities had not made any prior planning or arrangements for the occasion,” he added.
Before the forthcoming Pushkaralu, the city had witnessed a huge influx of people from all sections of society of Tamil Nadu during the month long Kashi-Tamil Sangamam held in November 2022.