VIJAYWADA, ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA, September 3, 2004: More than one million pilgrims took a holy bath today in the ghats here on the auspicious “Sravana Sukaravaram” day, the seventh day of the 12-day Krishna Pushkarams, being celebrated to mark the transit of Jupiter from Leo to Virgo constellation. With this, the number of those who had taken a holy dip on the first seven days of the once-in-12-year river festival in and around this temple city touched the 7.5 million mark, official sources said. Pilgrims from far and near continued to throng various ghats in this temple city since dawn for offering “pindapradhanam” for their ancestors and for performing other rituals, including ganga pooja as part of the river festival. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists performed “Maha Aarati” for the revered river.
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