Kaleshwaram Gears Up for 12-Day Saraswati Anthya Pushkaralu Festival

The spiritually significant Saraswati Anthya Pushkaralu began on Wednesday at Kaleshwaram in Telangana’s Jayashankar Bhupalpally district , with authorities expecting lakhs of devotees to visit the sacred river ghats over the next 12 days.

The festival, considered one of the most important Hindu river pilgrimages, will continue until June 1 . Officials estimate that nearly 30 to 40 lakh pilgrims from different states are likely to participate in the holy baths during the Pushkaralu period. In preparation for the large influx, the Telangana government allocated over ₹30.63 crore to develop infrastructure and improve facilities around the ghats.

The Pushkaralu were formally inaugurated in the early hours of Wednesday after Kanchi Peethadhipathi Jagadguru Shankar Vijayendra Saraswati Swamiji and Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla performed the ceremonial first holy dip at 5:43 am. Religious heads from various peethams are scheduled to take part in the sacred bathing rituals throughout the festival.

Located at the confluence of the Godavari , Pranahita , and the mythical Saraswati River , Kaleshwaram holds immense spiritual importance among devotees. The festival is observed once every 12 years when planetary alignments are believed to make river bathing especially auspicious according to Hindu traditions.

Apart from the ritual baths, the government has lined up a series of spiritual and cultural programmes including daily homams , evening harathi , teppotsavam , devotional music performances, and cultural events. The Endowments Department also established a special museum for visitors, while renovation works were completed at the historic Nagendra Swamy temple ahead of the festival.

Authorities said elaborate arrangements were made keeping in mind the intense summer conditions and experiences from previous Pushkaralu gatherings. Around 90 shuttle buses were deployed for pilgrim transport, while 23 parking zones spread over 245 acres were prepared to accommodate nearly 1.70 lakh vehicles .

To ensure basic amenities, officials installed temporary shelters, drinking water facilities, coir mats, and distributed ORS packets to protect devotees from heat-related issues. Nearly 500 temporary toilets and a large sanitation workforce were also arranged to maintain hygiene.

Security has been tightened across the Pushkar ghats with the deployment of 200 CCTV cameras , LED lighting systems, safety boats, and SDRF rescue teams . Around 100 trained swimmers have been stationed at key points to prevent accidents.

Medical camps with doctors, paramedical staff, and ambulances have been set up across multiple zones, while the Mahadevpur Primary Health Centre has been upgraded into a referral hospital for emergency care during the festival. Officials also established a dedicated media centre to provide regular updates and information to pilgrims throughout the Pushkaralu.