Work apace for KCR’s visit to Krishna ghat near Alampur

PREPARATION: Mahabubnagar Collector T.K. Sreedevi and other officials at the Beechpally bathing ghat on Friday. This ghat is one of the main ones that will draw a large number of people during Krishna Pushkaram between August 12 and 23. -Photo: K.V.S. GIRI

Even as thousands of people are at work across the vast expanse of this district, a small but dedicated group of people drawn from different departments are silently making arrangements for Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and his family to take a ‘Pushkar dip’ here, early on August 12.

The ghat that is being developed here is 9 k.m from the mandal headquarters of Alampur and the location is said to be close to the confluence of the River Tungabhadra with the River Krishna.

Alampur is significant because of the temple with Goddess Jogulamba as the presiding deity and is one of the five ‘Shaktipeeths’.

Stay at Alampur

According to the tentative schedule, it is understood that Mr. Rao, accompanied by at least two dozen of his family members will reach the Haritha guesthouse of the Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation in Alampur before sunset of August 11 (Thursday).

After a darshan of Goddess Jogulamba at the temple, he will sit through a cultural programme by the Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanams.

He will halt for the night at ‘Haritha’ and come here at 4.30 a.m. take a ‘Pushkar dip’ at the ghat at 5 a.m. on Friday, that marks the beginning of the 12 day-long ‘Krishna Pushkarams’.

After his dip, he will then perform in pooja at this ghat at 5.15 a.m. and leave here for the Jogulamba Temple at 6 a.m.

He will spend over an hour at the Temple and offer special prayers to Goddess Jogulamba before flying back to the State Capital.

Considering the fact that such a large number of VIPs coming here including Mr. Rao’s relatives, almost the entire State Cabinet and others will be descending on this location and will be in and around Alampur, and the police is chalking out elaborate bandobust.

When contacted, Mahabubnagar District Collector T.K Sreedevi and Superintendent of Police Rema Rajeswari said that they were indeed making all the necessary arrangements.

Ms. Sreedevi told The Hindu that in the long-term, the objective behind developing this ghat was also to ease the load on other popular ghats like the one at Beechpally.

Unlike most of the Krishna Pushkaram Ghats now being developed, the one at Beechpally is preferred by many as a location where ashes of the departed are mixed in the water all the year round by people.