Sea Harathi Dazzles Devotees at Manginapudi Beach

Vijayawada: Mines, Geology and Excise Minister Kollu Ravindra said that all necessary arrangements have been made at Sri Panduranga Swamy temple and Manginapudi beach in Machilipatnam to provide hassle-free and devotional experience to pilgrims on the occasion of Karthika Pournami.

At dawn on Wednesday, the minister participated in special sea rituals led by eminent Vedic scholar Vishnubotla Suryanarayana Sharma. Amidst the rhythmic chanting of five Vedic priests, a ceremonial sea lamp (Sea Harathi) was lit using offerings of turmeric, vermilion and flowers, marking the beginning of the sacred sea bath performed by the minister himself along with the devotees.

Talking to the media, Ravindra said that Karthika Masam is a spiritually important month with fasting and lighting of lamps. He noted that thousands of devotees traditionally take holy dips at Manginapudi beach in Pournami, similar to the Ganga Harathi performed daily in Kashi. Therefore, a Sea Harathi was organized this year to celebrate the cultural and spiritual heritage of Andhra Pradesh.

The minister said detailed arrangements have been made for sanitation, security and crowd management. Temporary toilets, changing rooms, over three lakh drinking water packets and free prasadam from major temples have been provided. The children were offered hot milk and were tagged with identification tape for their safety.

Ravindra also visited the ICDS stall, offered milk to children and participated in the distribution of prasadam before performing special pujas at Sri Datta Rameshwara and Nagarameshwara temples.

The beach and temple premises echoed with devotional hymns from the early morning hours as thousands of devotees participated in the rituals. Floodlights, watchtowers, rescue teams and police personnel ensured the smooth running of the event. The grand celebrations were attended by senior district officials, priests and devotees.