By Friday, the penultimate day of the Godavari Maha Pushkaram, more than 4 crore pilgrims would have taken a holy dip in the Godavari river, with the ghats here accounting for the bulk of them. It is estimated that the final figure may touch 4.5 or 4.6 crore by Saturday, the final day.
Theevent started on a tragic note, with 27 pilgrims losing their lives in a stampede at pushkar ghat on July 14, but thereafter, it went off smoothly, barring a fire accident on Wednesday night which injured three.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu stayed here throughout the pushkaram, personally supervising the arrangements, as he did not want to take any risks after the stampede on the first day.
This historical town (1,000-year-old) is a highly sought-after destination for devotees as the Godavari is undivided (Akhanda Godavari, as it is known).
Downstream of Dowlaiswaram near here, where the Sir Arthur Cotton barrage is located, the river splits into seven tributaries (sapta Godavari) before merging into the Bay of Bengal. Due to these historical, as well as mythological factors, devotees feel that Rajahmundry is the ideal place for taking a holy dip in the river. Since this year’s event was a maha pushkaram (one which occurs once in 144 years), devotees thronged the ghats in huge numbers.
Salaka Raghunadha Sarma, a noted Sanskrit and Telugu scholar, who resides here, said at a conference on Telugu culture here on Friday that no other town in Andhra Pradesh symbolises Telugu culture as much as Rajahmundry does.
Historical significance“It is here that Nannaya Bhattaraka, the first Telugu poet, translated the Sanskrit Maha Bharata into Telugu on the instructions of Raja Raja Narendra, after whom the town is named,” he said and added that the State government should develop Rajahmundry as the cultural capital of the State. “Amaravati may be the administrative capital, but this is the cultural capital,” he said.
Naidu said repeatedly during the pushkaram that more than 3,000 tmc ft of water was being emptied into the Bay of Bengal and all efforts will be made to make use of it. The Polavaram project on the Godavari will be completed, but before that, the Pattiseema lift irrigation project would be completed by August 15. Water will be let out into the canals. “The Godavari is the lifeline of our State. We are dependent on the great river for our well-being. Ever since Sir Arthur Cotton constructed the barrage on the Godavari at Dowlaiswaram, the prosperity of the two Godavari districts has been cemented. The Godavari delta is critical for food security not only of the State but also in other southern States as well,” he said.