Tirumala: Spiritual fervour marks Ramakrishna Theertha Mukkoti

Tirumala: The torrent festival in the auspicious Magha month, Sri Ramakrishna Theertha Mukkoti, was held with spiritual fervour at the theertham located in the deep forests in Tirumala on Sunday. Considered as one of the most important Muktiprada Theerthas among the Sapta Theerthas in the Seshachalam hill forests, Sri Ramakrishna Theertham was believed to have been named after Sri Ramakrishna Maharshi, who consecrated the idols of Sri Rama and Sri Krishna here. Located in the deep woods of Seshachala ranges, the Ramakrishna Theertham is almost 8.5km away from Tirumala temple.

The devotees believe that taking a holy dip in the fresh waters of this torrent on the auspicious day of Magha Pournami will yield them salvation. Marking the auspicious occasion, a team of temple staff amidst chanting of Veda mantras by the religious staff reached Sri Ramakrishna Theertham from Tirumala temple at 9 am. Later they performed a special Abhishekam to the deities located here and returned to the temple.

Devotees from various states congregated in Tirumala to visit theertham, started trekking the forests right from early in the morning to reach the theertham passing through the thick forests, gorges and rocky path to have a holy dip and darshan of the deities on the auspicious Magha Pournami. TTD made elaborate arrangements for the devotees who trekked Sri Ramakrishna Theertham. The distribution of beverages, buttermilk, Annaprasadam and water commenced at 5am in the Papavinasanam Dam area.

Hundreds of devotees trekked the torrent path. The engineering department officials laid a strong ladder for the sake of devotees to reach the torrent point. In coordination with police, TTD vigilance and forest muzdoors provided security to the devotees all along the route. APSRTC operated 30 buses at every 5 minutes to transport devotees to Papavinasanam from theertham. Private taxis and jeeps were not allowed beyond Gogarbham dam point as there is limited space for parking. The entry was closed after 12 noon for devotees. Medical teams were placed at three points with an ambulance at Papavinasanam Dam. Over 100 Srivari Sevaks were deployed to provide food and water services to the devotees from 5am to 6pm.