Happy days ahead: Devotees taking a dip in sangam kudali at Sangmeswara temple in Kurnool district on Tuesday. 

The growing pilgrim rush at Sangameswara temple in the backwaters of Srisailam reservoir has prompted the officials to reconsider its status.

In the last three days, one lakh pilgrims were expected to have visited the shrine and taken a holy dip on account of Saraswathi pushkara where the mythical Saraswathi is believed to have joined the Krishna river. A temple devoted to Goddess Saraswathi existed prior to the construction of the reservoir in the ’80s.

Sangameswara temple complex, comprising over a dozen other temples, was a popular shrine. All the temples were demolished, stone artefacts and idols removed to different places. Rupala Sangameswara temple was relocated on Jagannatha Hill near Kurnool city. However, devotees opposed demolition of Sangameswara temple which remained under water for over 20 years until it surfaced in 2003.

Since then, the devotees have been thronging the place for three months during summer. The temple is accessible to devotees when water level in the reservoir remains below 830 ft.

The Saraswati festival was celebrated on June 9, 10 and 11 with concluding rituals being performed on Tuesday evening. On Sunday and Monday, devotees had to struggle for darshan due to heavy rush and absence of crowd management arrangements. Temple priest T. Raghurama Sarma said the Endowments Department should initiate some steps to provide amenities for the devotees.

Temple executive officer Kamalakar told The Hindu that he would formally write to the higher authorities about the revival of pilgrim activity at Sangameswara, which according to the Endowment Department, was a defunct temple and compensation was paid for removal of the temple. The amounts were deposited with the Endowments Department.

According to Mr. Sarma, the rituals would go on till the back waters engulfed the temple this season.

Source: The Hindu, DT. June 12, 2013.