Hyderabad: Saraswati Pushkaralu kicked off at Kaleshwaram in Telangana’s Jayashankar Bhupalpally district, with a steady stream of pilgrims pouring in from five states. The 12-day festival runs till 26 May, during which lakhs are expected to take a holy dip at the confluence of the Godavari, Pranahita, and Saraswati rivers.
State minister Sridhar Babu inaugurated the rituals with a special puja on the riverbanks early this morning. Pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Telangana have already begun arriving in large numbers.
To ease access, APSRTC has launched special bus services from Vijayawada and Amalapuram to Kaleshwaram, operational till 25 May.
The Telangana government has sanctioned ₹37 crore for the event. Funds are being used for ghat construction, decorations, drinking water supply, accommodation, parking and other amenities around the pilgrimage zone.
