Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

Gaiety marks Kartika Pournami

VIJAYAWADA: Kartika Purnima or Pournami, which is considered the auspicious day to worship Lord Shiva and seek his blessings, was celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety in various parts of the city on Sunday.

The ‘Karthika Pournami', the traditional festival celebrated during the full moon day, celebrations began with pre-dawn bath. The devotees thronged the Krishna river embankments to take a holy dip and to pray for the well-being of their family. Thousands of devotees took a holy dip in the river at various ghats, more particularly at Durga ghat, in the city. The Durga ghat, which is very close to Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam, witnessed huge rush of devotees. The officials arranged shower baths for the convenience of the devotees, who cannot take a dip in the river. The devotees offered ‘arghyam', the libations of consecrated water, to the god. The devotees believe that taking a dip in the river during Kartik Pournami cleanses them of their sins, speeding the way to the end of the cycle of reincarnation.

The temples like One Town Sivalayam, Siva temple near Challapalli Bunglow, in Krishnalanka, Ramakoti in Satyanarayanapuram, and Sarabhaiah gullu in Durga agraharam witnessed heavy rush as the festival coincided with weekend. The devotees stood in long queues to have a glimpse of presiding deities. The Siva and Shirdi Saibaba temples were crowded with the devotees. Annadanam, free food or prasadam was distributed in some temples on the occasion.

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