Antya Pushkaralu: Safety of pilgrims at stake

​Warangal/Karimnagar/Khammam/Adilabad: With the State government turning its back on the conduct of Antya Pushkaralu, it seems that safety of the pilgrims is perilously poised in the absence of arrangements at all Pushkar ghats along the river banks of Godavari in Telangana.

This comes in as a huge surprise especially against the backdrop that Godavari is receiving good inflows and there is every possibility that pilgrims get washed away in the river as the river banks are slippery and have enough water.

The government which conducted Godavari Maha Pushkaralu on a grand note appears least bothered about the fete, which is scheduled fromJuly 31 to August 11. With less than 24 hours to go for the start of the event, all the ghats in Kaleshwaram, Bhadrachalam, Dharmapuri and Mangapet appeared in a state of neglect.

Albeit the event is not expected to draw as much crowd as the main fiesta has witnessed last year, the Antya Pushkaralu have a lot of significance. Apart from signaling the symbolic closure of Godavari Maha Pushkaralu, the fete also marks the commencement of Krishna Pushkaralu which is slated to begin on August 12.

Incidentally, Godavari is the only river that offers its devout both ‘Aadi’ and ‘Antya’ pushkaralu. Thus, allowing the pilgrims to make up their failure to attend the main fete last year.

Against this backdrop, neither there was any activity nor any effort to spruce up the Pushkar ghats in Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal and Khammam districts. The batteries of showers installed during the main event were removed.

So were the makeshift changing rooms. Unlike the main event last year where pilgrims had to take a holy dip in puddles in the dried up Godavari river, there is plenty of water this time. With no facilities at the Pushkar ghats, it’s going to be difficult for the pilgrims to have a holy dip in gushing waters.

At Mangapet in Warangal district, the condition of Pushkar ghat is appalling with the recent floods bringing in heaps of mud and clay on to the steps. With no railings in place, reaching the river for a holy bath could be a herculean task.

Even though the backwaters of Yellampalli project stretching to Dharmapuri, the devotees have to get down to the river for a bath. Although minor repair works on ghat steps and changing rooms are being carried out by the temple authorities, the locals say that there is a danger lurking around the corner as the river banks are slippery.

Bhadrachalam is the other major place where devotees turned in large numbers for the main event. With the Minister for Roads and Buildings Tummala Nageswara Rao, who personally monitored the event last year, instructing the officials, the authorities appeared in a hurry to remove the mud and clay at the Pushkar ghat besides repairing the steps.

Speaking to The Hans India, the Endowments Department Warangal Assistant Commissioner Veera Swamy said: “We have no directions from the government to conduct Antya Pushkaralu officially. Arrangements are being made only in major temples of Dharmapuri, Basar, Kaleshwaram and Bhadrachalam.”

Meanwhile, the Adilabad district administration has deployed 30 ace swimmers at Basar where pilgrim rush is expected to be more than other places in the region. Besides arranging showers, the authorities are also installing makeshift changing rooms for the devotees.