Krishna Pushkaralu begins

The Krishna Pushkaralu began in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on Friday with fanfare and religious fervor and took part in the special prayers  in two states and offered prayers along the banks of the river.

Pushkar Ghats, constructed by the authorities along the river course, were teeming with thousands of devotees since the early hours of the day. Elaborate arrangements and provided amenities to the devotees for the 12-day long festival.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, his wife Shoba Rao, Endowments Minister Indrakaran Reddy and other public representatives took the holy dip at Gondimalla ghat in Alampur mandal of Mahabubnagar district. Authorities in Telangana have built 90 bathing ghats for the convenience of devotees in Mahabubnagar and Nalgonda districts, the sources in the government said.

Over 13,000 policemen have been deployed as part of security arrangements besides installing  555 CCTV cameras at the venue. TSRTC will run 1,365 special buses from various parts of the state to the bathing ghats for the convenience of the pilgrims. While SCR will operated 655 special trains for the convenience of the devotees in the two states. Over sic crore people are expected to attend the 12-day fete.

Meanwhil, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and his cabinet colleagues took a holy bath at Durga Ghat in Vijayawada. Naidu along with his wife Bhuvaneshwari performed puja. Authorities have made elaborate arrangements for smooth conduct of the festival in Kurnool, Krishna and Guntur where 178 bathing ghats have come up for the convenience of the devotees.