RAJANNA-SIRCILLA: Pilgrimage to the Sri Guru Dattatreya Swamy temple in Karimnagar has become more exciting for the devotees as now they have to take a boat ride to reach the temple. The temple appears to be located on an island, because it is situated in the now-submerged village of Vardavelli in Boinpally mandal, in the middle of backwaters of the Mid Manair Dam.
Since three days, several pilgrims are taking ferries across the backwater of the MMD to visit the temple to celebrate the Datta Jayanti festival.Celebrations are ongoing at the temple which is located on a small hillock.
Devotees have to take a ferry to cross 3 km of the dam’s backwater. In view of the festival, the grama panchayat has arranged boat facility in coordination with the Telangana Tourism Corporation to ferry devotees. The facility was started after village sarpanch Latha Raju had requested the district administration and the government to either ensure compensation for the temple as the way to it was submerged under the Mid Manair dam, or ensure boating facility and a protection wall surrounding the temple.
The Sarpanch said priests were facing problems to reach the temple as they had to cross the water in country boats. Due to lack of proper boating facility the number of devotees visiting the temple also decreased, she said. On Wednesday, the concluding day of the celebrations, a number of devotees visited the temple and performed poojas, including local MLA Sunke Ravi Shankar.