Hyderabad: The 12-day Saraswati Antya Pushkaralu at Kaleshwaram will begin on Thursday, May 21, with Kanchi Peethadhipati Jagadguru Sri Sankara Vijayendra Saraswati and Telangana Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla taking the ceremonial first holy dip at 5.43 am, the state government said.
The Pushkar bathing rituals, which run from May 21 to June 1, are expected to draw between 30 and 40 lakh pilgrims, for whom the government has made extensive arrangements at an outlay of Rs 30.63 crore.
A prominent seer from a different peetham will take the ritual bath each day during the 12-day period. Daily homams will be conducted in the mornings, with large-scale cultural programmes scheduled each evening. A special museum has been set up under the aegis of the Endowments Department at a cost of Rs 1.20 crore, while the Nagendra Swami temple at the site has been renovated at a cost of Rs 30 lakh.
Drawing on lessons from last year’s Saraswati Adi Pushkaralu, officials said they had made more robust preparations this time. Given the intensity of the summer heat, coir mats, shade shelters and ORS packets have been arranged at the ghats.
Expert swimmers deployed
For water safety, 100 specially trained expert swimmers have been deployed along the Saraswati Ghat and the river stretch, supported by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams, safety boats and life rings. A total of 90 shuttle buses will ferry pilgrims to the bathing ghats.
On the medical front, 23 dedicated camps have been set up across as many zones at the Kaleshwaram Pushkar Ghat, staffed by 300 medical officers and paramedical personnel. Ambulances have been positioned at all major points, and the Mahadevpur Primary Health Centre has been designated as a referral hospital.
Parking has been arranged across 245 acre spread over 23 locations, with a capacity for approximately 1.70 lakh vehicles. Drinking water facilities and toilets have been provided at each parking area, in addition to around 500 portable toilets installed at the ghat. Two overhead reservoir tanks have been constructed for drinking water supply.
LED lighting has been put up along the routes leading to the bathing ghats, and 200 closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras have been installed across parking areas, ghats and the temple precincts. Uninterrupted power supply has been ensured throughout the event period.
Three hundred sanitation workers will be deployed for the duration of the festival. A media centre has also been set up to provide real-time updates to the public.
