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Pushkaram is a Sanskrit word meaning “the one who purifies”. Pushkaralu are celebrated as the annual festival of rivers a particular time of an year when one among the 12 of the most spiritual rivers of India are worshipped across the entire nation of India. Each river of the 12 sacred rivers is associated with a Zodiac Sign. Based on the positioning of the planet Jupiter on the Zodiac signs, each river will be worshiped each year. It is celebrated at shrines along the banks of 12 major sacred rivers in India, in the form of ancestor worship, spiritual discourses, devotional music and cultural programs.
The association of the 12 major rivers with zodiac signs is as follows:
1. River Ganges – Aries Zodiac Sign (Mesha)
2. River Narmada – Taurus Zodiac Sign (Vrishaba)
3. River Saraswati – Gemini Zodiac Sign (Mithuna)
4. River Yamuna – Cancer Zodiac Sign (Karka)
5. River Godavari – Leo Zodiac Sign (Simha)
6. River Krishna – Virgo Zodiac Sign (Kanya)
7. River Kaveri – Libra Zodiac Sign (Tula)
8. River Bhima or – Scorpio Zodiac Sign (Vrishchika)
River Tamraparni
9. River Tapti – Sagittarius Zodiac Sign (Dhanus)
10. River Tungabhadra – Capricorn Zodiac Sign (Makara)
11. River Sindhu – Aquarius Zodiac Sign (Kumbha)
12. River Pranhita – Pisces Zodiac Sign (Mina)
Godavari Maha Pushkaralu 2015
In 2015, Jupiter moved into the Zodiac Sign of Simha Rasi or Leo and thus, the annual festival of rivers is happening at river Godavari. The river will be worshiped in the two Telugu States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. This time the event is considered very auspicious from the astronomical point of view as it is ‘Maha Pushkaralu’ which comes once in 144 years.
StartDate: 14th July 2015
End Date: 25th July 2015
No of days Celebrated: 12
Mythology
According to a legend mentioned in astrology treatises such as Jataka Parijata (1426), Shiva presented a boon to a Brahmin after severe penance. As per the boon, the Brahmin, who came to be known as Pushkara, would be able to live in water and purify the holy rivers. On a request from Bṛhaspati (Jupiter), he decided to enter one of the 12 sacred rivers every year when Bṛhaspati traveled from one zodiac sign to another.
Celebrations at Pushkaralu
Pushkaram celebrations include reverence of ancestors, spiritual discourses, devotional music and cultural programs. The devotees engage in activities such as snana (bath in the river), dāna (charity), japa (recitation of mantras), archana and dhyana (meditation).
Along with prayers, people also do rites to the ancestors on the banks of the rivers during the time of Pushkaram. It is strongly believed that they will reach ultimate heavens emancipated from cycle of life and death because of these rites.
How long does it last?
Theoretically, the festival lasts until Jupiter remains in the corresponding zodiac sign i.e.. for one year. But major crowds are drawn only during the first 12 days and the last 12 days as the time is considered more auspicious. A holy dip in the sacred river especially during pushkaram is believed to erase all sins. The first 12 days are known as Adi Pushkaram while the last twelve days are called Anthya Pushkaram. A belief prevails that during the period of Adi Pushkaram and Anthya Pushkaram (twenty-four days), Pushkar (the Brahmin with the power to make any river holy) will travel along with Jupiter as Jupiter moves from one Zodiac house to another.
Details of locations
The places on the banks of the Godavari River where pilgrims visit famous temples are in the five districts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The prominent places are Basar, Dharmapuri, Koti Lingala, Kaleshwaram, Bhadrachalam in Telangana and Rajahmundry, Kovvur, Narasapuram, Antervedi in Andhra Pradesh.
Facilities
Estimated to attract 40 to 50 million people from all parts of India, the Maha Pushkaram festival will be celebrated in both Telugu speaking states. On this occasion, people take a holy dip in the Godavari River to get the benefits of better physical and mental abilities.
For this year’s event, the Governments of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have made all arrangements in their respective states. They constructed ghats for bathing and improved road communications, basic amenities of water supply and sanitation, and security. In Andhra Pradesh, the budget allocated for improvement of infrastructure facilities is INR 1,295 crores.
Pushkaram in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu
Pushkaram is celebrated across Godavari, Krishna, Pranhita and Penna rivers in Telugu-speaking states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. In Tamil Nadu, Pushkaram is celebrated in Tamraparni River when Jupiter is in Scorpio. In the four places where River Tamraparni flows from south to north, Banathirtham, Papanasam, Thirupudaimaruthur and Sinthupoondurai, the festival is celebrated in accordance with tradition. The Tamraparni temple at Suthamalli is also a place of religious celebration during the Pushkaram year.
-Sumana
