Godavari Pushkaralu

Introduction

Godavari Pushkaralu – the Godavari Pushkaram – is the great festival of the river Godavari, the Dakshina Ganga (Ganga of the South), held once every twelve years when Jupiter (Guru) enters Simha rasi (Leo). For the first twelve days after Jupiter's entry – the Adi Pushkaram – a bath in the Godavari is considered especially sacred, and pilgrims come in their crores to the river's ghats in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. In 2027 both state governments have fixed the Pushkaralu for twelve days from the day Jupiter enters Simha, and are building and renovating hundreds of ghats along the river for the pilgrims.

Significance and Legend

Pushkaram means a period of twelve years. According to tradition, Pushkara, a deity who received the boon of dwelling in the sacred waters, travels with Brihaspati (Jupiter); as Brihaspati moves into each of the twelve rasis, Pushkara's presence blesses one of the twelve great rivers of India. When Jupiter enters Simha, it is the turn of the Godavari. Bathing in the river during these days, remembering one's ancestors and giving in charity are believed to bring great merit. The Godavari herself, tradition says, was brought down to the earth by the prayers of Sage Gautama at Brahmagiri near Trimbakeshwar, where she rises – and where the great Simhastha Kumbh is held in the same Jupiter-in-Simha period.

How it is Celebrated in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh

• The twelve-day holy bath: pilgrims take the Pushkara snanam with a sankalpam, often at dawn, at the ghats along the river.
• Telangana: the Godavari's journey through Telangana is lined with sacred bathing places – Basara, beside the temple of Goddess Gnana Saraswathi; Dharmapuri; Kaleshwaram, at the meeting of the rivers; and Bhadrachalam, where the ghats lie close to the temple of Sri Sita Ramachandra Swamy.
• Andhra Pradesh: Rajahmundry (Rajamahendravaram) is the heart of the Pushkaralu, with famous ghats such as the Pushkar Ghat and the Kotilingala Ghat. Downstream, pilgrims bathe at Pattiseema, at Kotipalli with its Someswara temple on the Gautami branch, at Vadapalli, and at Antarvedi, where the Vasishta Godavari meets the sea – and at hundreds of village ghats in between.
• Remembering the ancestors: many families perform tarpanam and pinda pradanam for their ancestors at the ghats, with the help of priests.
• Godavari harathi and temple darshan: evening harathi to the river, and darshan at the riverside temples, complete the pilgrimage.
• Travel wisely: the crowds are immense – bathe only at the designated ghats, follow the instructions of the officials and volunteers, and keep children and elders close.

Rituals and Puja

• Pushkara snanam with a sankalpam, worship of the river (Godavari puja) with turmeric, kumkum, flowers and a lamp.
• Pitru karmas – tarpanam and pinda pradanam – for the family's ancestors.
• Danam – giving food, clothes and other gifts to the needy and to priests.
• Darshan at the temples on the river bank.

Foods and Offerings

• Turmeric, kumkum, flowers, coconuts and lamps offered to the river.
• Sesame, rice and pindas for the ancestral rites.
• Annadanam – free meals offered to pilgrims at the ghats and temples by devasthanams and volunteers.

Temples Known for this Festival

• Sri Gnana Saraswathi Temple, Basara – one of the Telangana Pushkar bathing places, beside the temple of the Goddess of learning.
• Sri Sita Ramachandra Swamy Temple, Bhadrachalam – bathing ghats close to the temple; lakhs of pilgrims bathe here during the Pushkaralu.
• Sri Veerabhadra Swamy Temple, Pattiseema – Pushkar ghats at Pattiseema, where pilgrims bathe before the darshan of Veerabhadra Swamy on his island in the Godavari.
• Vadapalli Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple – Pushkar ghats on the Gautami Godavari beside the temple of the Lord who, by tradition, arrived on its waters.
• Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, Antarvedi – where the Vasishta Godavari meets the sea; among the last Pushkar bathing places on the river.

The Godavari Pushkaralu dates are shown in the festival dates above. The Pushkaralu begin when Jupiter enters Simha rasi and continue for twelve days; the dates are fixed and announced by the state governments.