VIJAYAWADA: Condemning the Irrigation department’s decision to restrict ‘Pinda Pradanam’ rituals on Durga Ghat, a large number of priests staged a protest on Saturday. Protesting under the banner of ‘Krishna River Teertha Purohita Sangam’, they sought to know why they were being prevented from performing the rituals on the ghat.
To mark their protest, the agitated priests performed the rituals on the main road for a period of time. ‘’For several decades, Durga Ghat has been the centre to conduct religious ceremonies and considered sacred by pilgrims taking a dip in Krishna River. We are not aware why we are being stopped from performing rituals at the ghat,” A Chaithanya, a priest, said.
“It is not at all a good practice to stop performing rituals on the ghat because of a swollen Krishna River. Instead they should deploy expert swimmers and leave us to perform the rituals on the ghat,” K Phani Sharma, another priest, said. “We have also warned the pilgrims not take a dip in swollen Krishna River,” he added.
‘’There is a belief among the pilgrims that a dip in the Krishna River at Durga Ghat will wash away all their sins. They believe that if the rituals are performed on the ghat, the fruits (punyam) of the rituals will reach their ancestors,” V Nagendra Sarma, another priest, said.
Around 200 families eke out their livelihood by performing the rituals on the ghat. With the Mahalaya Paksham fast approaching, the decision of the officials will affect our livelihood, he lamented.
Meanwhile, the priests continued to perform rituals on the roadside till evening. The irrigation officials failed to respond to the issue.