Godavari Maha Pushkaralu 2015 Dates

Pushkaram is an Indian festival dedicated to worshiping of rivers.It is part of hindu regional tradition.There are many rivers in india, but only twelve rivers have unique status of their own. Among the twelve rivers Godavari is one of them.Last Godavari Pushkaralu was held in the year 2003.

This festival occurs once every 144 years, corresponding to the 12th recurrence of the 12-year Godavari Pushkaram cycle. The festival is "theoretically" observed throughout the twelve months that the planet remains in that sign, but the first 12 days are considered most sacred.The first 12 days of the Godavari Pushkaram are known as "Aadhi Pushkaram" and the last 12 days are titled "Anthya Pushkaralu". The next Maha Pushkaram will be celebrated in 2159.

Godavari is one of the 12 sacred rivers, and the Godavari Pushkaram takes place once every 12 years, when the Jupiter is in the Leo sign. The Maha Pushkaram ("Great Pushkaram") takes place once every 144 years.

Godavari Pushkaram will occur when the transit of  Bruhaspathi (Jupiter) into the Simha Raasi (Leo Zodiac Sign) along with Pushkar God who is the king of all theerthas.The auspicious occasion comes in every 12 years.

Aadhi Pushkaralu Dates : 14th July,2015 - 25th July,2015

Anthya Pushkaralu Dates : 31^st July,2016 – 11^th August 2016.

Date	Presiding Deity	Daan / Puja
14th July 2015	Lord Narayana	Grains, Gold, silver
15th July 2015	Lord Bhaskara (Sun)	Cloths, Salt, Cow
16th July 2015	Goddess Mahalakshmi	Jaggery, Vegetables, Vehicle
17th July 2015	Lord Ganesha	Ghee, Milk, Honey, Sesame Seeds
18th July 2015	Lord Sri Krishna	Grains, Bull, Plough
19th July 2015	Goddess Saraswati	Musk, Sandalwood, Karpuram
20th July 2015	Goddess Parvathi	House, Stools/chairs, Cots
21st July 2015	Lord Eswar	Flowers, Kandamoola
22nd July 2015	Lord Anantha	Mattress, Bed
23rd July 2015	Lord Narasimha	Salagramam
24th July 2015	Lord Vamana	Blankets, Yagnopaveeta
25th July 2015	Lord Sri Rama	Shodasha Mahadana

Godavari Significance :

It is the second largest river in india after Ganga.It starts in Maharashtra and flows for 1,465 kilometres  into the Bay of Bengal via the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Religious Significance :

Sage Gautama lived in the Brahmagiri Hills at Trayambakeshwar with his wife Ahalya.The Rishi kept his stock of rice in a granary. Once, a cow entered his granary and ate up the rice. When the Rishi tried to ward the cow away with darbha grass, it fell dead. The Rishi wished to atone for the sin of ‘Gohatya’ - killing a sacred cow. He prayed to Lord Shiva and requested him to divert the river Ganges to purify his hermitage. Lord Shiva was pleased with the Rishi so appeared in his Triambaka manifestation and diverted the river Ganges to flow past his homestead.

The Maha Pushkaram festival attracts an estimated 40 to 50 million people from all parts of India. On this occasion, it is essential to take a holy dip in the Godavari River to get the supposed benefits of better physical and mental abilities.

Shoba Yatra is an event proposed during the festival a procession carrying the sacred waters of the Godavari River to be mixed with water bodies in all the villages in the 13 districts(Andhra Pradesh) which lie within the ambit of the Godavari River.

Godavari Harathi :

A religious symbolic performance called the "Godavari Harathi", a ritual of worship with a number of lamps, similar to the Ganga Aarti that is conducted on the banks of the Ganges in Varanasi, is also proposed to be held at Rajahmundry where the river flows out to the sea.