Tungabhadra Pushkaram
Pushkaram is a celebration and a thanksgiving for our river wealth. Taking a dip in the river during pushkaram is believed to cleanse us. This year, it is the turn of River Tungabhadra as Jupiter (Brihaspati) enters Makara Rasi. It is believed that one should perform a bath, dana, Japa, and Archana during the pushkaram days.
What is Pushkaram
Indian culture is full of different kinds of celebrations. Water is one of the most important gifts from God to us, and in a land-based on agriculture like ours, rivers are significant to everyone – life-giving waters in every sense. So some of these celebrations are dedicated to rivers. These are known as Pushkaram, Pushkara or Pushkaralu.
The belief is that a Brahmin was once granted a boon allowing him to purify water – he came to be known as “Pushkara”, who nourishes, and travels from one river to another as Brihaspati travels from one Rasi to another.
The twelve rivers that are associated with the twelve Rasis are the ones that are involved in the Pushkaram festivals.
This is a story that appears in some of our treatises. The Pushkaram is annual, and there are twelve rivers associated with it. Hence, the Pushkaram associated with a particular river takes place once in twelve years. The presence and location of Brihaspati at a particular time decides the river that becomes the ‘Pushkara theertha’ for that year.
In 2020, the Pushkara Theertha was the river Tungabhadra and is known as Tungabhadra Pushkaram
Tungabhadra River
The confluence of the rivers Tunga and Bhadra at Koodli forms the Tungabhadra River. The river flows through the states of Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Ultimately, the Tungabhadra joins River Krishna. The Tungabhadra Pushkaram was celebrated from November 20 to December 1, 2020.
The peak of the Pushkaram period is the first twelve days from the time of entry of Brihaspati into Makara Rasi – often known as ‘Adi Pushkaram’.
The last twelve days of Brihaspati’s stay in Makara Rasi are also considered very auspicious, and are known as ‘Antya Pushkaram’. During the Pushkara period for a river, the main pilgrimage centre is normally the spot where the tributaries join the river. After the Tungabhadra is formed at Koodli, the river flows through plains and passes near many important sites on the way.
One such is Hampi, which was once the seat of the Vijayanagara empire. It is an important site even today with some temples like the Virupaksha temple still in worship.
After this, the river Vedavathi joins the Tungabhadra. Later on, the river flows through other important sites such as Mantralayam, where many devotees gather. The Handri River joins the Tungabhadra after this.
Eventually, the Tungabhadra joins the river Krishna at Alampur. This again is an important pilgrimage site to which many devotees flock. There are other pilgrimage sites all along the Tungabhadra, such as the Sringeri Sharada Peetham, Nava-Brindavanam (where nine Madhva saints have their resting place) and even the Nava-Brahma temples.
All the places that the Tungabhadra flows through are sanctified by the river. Like many other festive occasions, the Pushkaram festivals involve remembering and revering ancestors, devotional music and discourses, etc.
5 Common Activities During Pushkaram
Five common activities that devotees take part during Pushkaram are snana, dana, japa, archana and dhyana.
- ‘Snana’ is the holy dip in the river – this is an ancient custom, and is beneficial not only because it is believed to erase all the devotee’s sins but because of the cleansing properties of water itself.
- ‘Dana’ refers to the act of giving, and is said to have great merit in this period.
- ‘Japa’ involves the recitation of sacred mantras,
- ‘Archana’ involves the act of worship or paying homage to deities, ancestors or even guests and dhyana refers to meditation.
The time of the water festival is a time for both devotion and celebration. It is a time of goodwill, with every house in the area taking on a festive appearance and everybody getting ready to receive and host guests be they friends, family or pilgrims. However, one must be extremely cautious in this time of the pandemic. It is better to focus on the spiritual significance of the event.
Click here to explore Krishna Pushkaram and it’s significance
