Hyderabad, Aug 7 — Telangana Chief Minister, A. Revanth Reddy, has decided to conduct ‘Varuna Yagam’ on August 10 to pray for abundant rains across the State.
Acting on the Chief Minister's instructions, the priests and scholars of the Yadagirigutta Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Devasthanam fixed August 10 as the auspicious date for the ‘Varuna Yagam.’
The ritual will be performed at the Vijaya Vihar premises located on the banks of the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam across Krishna River.
Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy announced on Friday that the Chief Minister decided to conduct 'Varuna Yagam' to pray for the all-round well-being of the people of the state and the country; for abundant rainfall and bountiful harvests; seeking the vigorous flow of the Krishna and Godavari rivers; hoping for the filling up of the Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir as well as all other reservoirs and tanks across the state; and wishing for Telangana to remain free from the impact of El Niño.
Under the aegis of the Endowments Department, the rituals will be conducted by the Yadagirigutta Temple priests and Vedic scholars.
The ‘Yagam’ will featuring 108 ‘Rithwiks’, 11 ‘Homa Kundas’ (sacrificial fire pits), and a team of Vedic scholars and priests.
Special prayers will be offered with the resolve that the Krishna and Godavari rivers and local water bodies be replenished with water, and that agriculture and livestock thrive.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy will also participate in the ‘Poornahuti’ (concluding ritual offering) ceremony, which is scheduled to take place at 3:24 p.m.
Uttam Kumar Reddy stated that the ‘Yagam’ was being organised to seek nature's benevolence, abundant rainfall, the replenishment of the Krishna and Godavari river waters, the welfare of the farming community, and the prosperity of the State.
Moderate rains during the last few days have narrowed down Telangana’s cumulative southwest monsoon rainfall deficit to 5 per cent.
The State had a massive rainfall deficit of 61 per cent by July 16. However, the rains during the second half of the month brought a dramatic turnaround.
According to the Telangana Development Planning Society (TGDPS), Telangana received 224.3 mm of rainfall during July against the normal 227.6 mm. The month ended with a marginal rainfall deficit of just one per cent.
The overall deficit dropped to 5 per cent. The Sate recorded 339.6 mm of rainfall between June 1 and July 31 against the normal 357.9 mm.