It’s late evening in the very bustling town of Rajahmundry, along the banks of the 1,500 kilometre-long Godavari river. Chants accompany hammer blows as foremen yell out orders at the hundreds of workmen putting together what could be described as one of the largest pilgrimage events on the calendar this year — the Godavari Pushkaralu. The sky’s a hopeful grey and many on the banks are looking up… eyes shut tightly in prayer. “They are saying close to two crore devotees would have arrived for the Maha Pushkaralu by July 14. I don’t know if we have enough space in this town,” says a young priest by the side of the river.
Because unlike the usual Pushkaralu (or Pushkara in Sanskrit), which happens every 12 years, some experts are claiming this particular event is sacred to the utmost as it is the 12th instance of the ‘12-year’ schedule. With a bit of celestial mathematics thrown in, that means the July 14 Maha Pushkaralu is being pegged as the one which will happen just once in 144 years — the next one will be in the year 2159.
But there are sceptics who are frowning at the 144-year calculation. Alamanac writers in numerous interviews have disputed the claim and others are even asking how have we decided to go ahead and attach the ‘Maha’ tag to the Pushkaralu. “The theory of 144 years is a myth. Don’t know who calculated it and how they calculated it,” said State Drukghanitha Almanac Writers’ Association president Hanmanthavajjula Subrahmanya Sarma, last year. Then, controversy clouded a query which asked if we could call it a ‘Kumbh Mela’. The opposition termed the Kumbh a ‘North Indian thing’ while across the table, supporters maintained the nomenclature was a non-issue.
“Don’t worry about all that. We have more politicians amidst us than in Parliament. In the end, it comes down to prayer — a dialogue with God at such a sacred site on a divine day,” adds the young priest. The festival is also spread across the two Telugu-speaking states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The latter too makes for an excellent destination during this period. There are the towns of Basar in Adilabad, Dharmapuri, Kaleswaram in Karimnagar and Bhadrachalam in Khammam. For example, Basar — over 200 km from Hyderabad — is famous for its Saraswati temple, which dates back to the Chalukya period. Kandakurthy in Nizamabad district meanwhile is where the surging Godavari enters Telangana making it another extremely divine spot for the Pushkaram.
Sins, rivers and a planet
For centuries, believers have approached rivers seeking a cleanse. “Why rivers? Because we have always believed they are the meeting points between heaven and Earth, where Gods congregate. Thus, the ritual of scattering of the ashes. Such sites also reverberate with positive energy, calm the mind and soothe the soul, which is why a simple bath has an almost auspicious quality to it. A dip in one of our sacred rivers is widely considered to be one of the holiest acts in several cultures… the moving waters signifying the taking away of errors from your past,” explains Sudha Umashanker, a Reiki channel, yoga practitioner and spiritual seeker.
In fact, there’s even a chant that’s supposed to accompany a bath. “Ganga cha Yamune chaiva Godavari Saravati Narmade Sindho Kaveri jale asmin sannidhim kuru,” which translates to, “O Ganges, O Yamuna, O Godavari, O Saraswati, O Narmada, O Sindhu, O Kaveri, become present in this water.” In the massive Godavari then, the country’s second longest river, host to the Kumbh Mela at Nashik (in its origin state of Maharasthra) and popularly referred to as Dakshina Ganga, they say a dip during the Maha Pushkaralu is equivalent to 60,000 baths in the Ganga.
Scriptures trace the event’s origins back to a sage named Pushkara who, concerned with rivers absorbing all of mankind’s sins, asked Brahma for a boon which would allow him to live inside the rivers and ‘clean’ all of them. But it wasn’t just Brahma who granted a boon. After a long penance, Pushkara also acquired the ‘Jala Tattva Siddhi’ from Lord Shiva and together with Brahma and Shiva’s blessings became the king of all rivers, or the Theerthapalaka.
There’s also a link with a planet… Jupiter, or Brihaspati. During Pushkara’s penance, Brihaspati too spent time in prayer to please Brahma and asked the Lord permission to acquire Pushkara’s powers. The latter refused but wise Brahma diffused the situation by allowing Jupiter to co-ordinate an appearance each time Pushkara entered a river. Which is why there’s a 12-year-cycle. It takes Jupiter 12 years to orbit the Sun. Also, 12 rivers have been linked with the 12 signs of the zodiac. River Godavari has been assigned the Sun sign Leo. “The most influential planet in the cosmos will be right up there and it impacts almost all aspects of our lives,” says a priest associated with the offices of chief priest Krishnamurty Upadrasta.
“It brings prospects in health, wealth, construction of buildings and even has influences on parts of the human body. The planet is also the guru — having an influence on early education and careers. There’s not an aspect of human life that’s outside Jupiter’s influence. During the Pushkaralu, the waters of the rivers grow in spiritual strength and a dip can have profound effects on your life,” he adds. The holy dip however, is also for the ancestors and a ‘Shraaddha Karma’ or ‘Pithru Karma” is considered a must during the pilgrimage. It helps alleviate the suffering of souls and helps them make the transit between Earth and Heaven. Which is why during this 12-day period, no major events such as marriages are conducted. It’s a time to pray... for yourself and for those before you. Again, a prayer performed during the Pushkuralu will compensate for missed ‘Shraaddha Karamas’.
The believers
As of Monday, Rajahmundry town is bracing for a human wave. Amidst the rush, an 87-year-old woman is helped on by her son towards the banks. “She has been suffering for a year now and it’s very likely this is her final pilgrimage. We even have a doctor here on standby. All four of her children are now here and we’re meeting after two years. We tried to talk mum out of it… but she was insistent. Someday, I’ll be her age and I hope I get that chance for one final prayer, on an occasion such as this,” son Vikram says.
