Devotees taking a holy dip after overnight prayers celebrating Sivaratri at RK Beach in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: K.R. DEEPAK
Thousands of people thronged beaches, particularly at RK beach, Yarada, Rushikonda and Appikonda, to take a holy dip, marking the culmination of the auspicious ‘Maha Sivaratri’ festival in the city on Thursday. Lord Shiva temples reverberated with chants of ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ throughout the day with the devotees, who completed their holy dips in the waterbodies for the final prayers.
Six devotees drowning on the beaches were rescued by beach guards (authorised swimmers), while 10 children were saved from being separated from their parents with the help of radio frequency identification tags used by the Visakhapatnam city police.
Speaking to The Hindu, a beach guard, M. Naveen, said, “Our team consisting of G. Rajesh, T. Polarao, T. Gurunath and me, continuously monitored RK Beach from early morning till afternoon when the crowd was very heavy. We also used boats to speed up our rescue process. We rescued a person from Maddilapalem in the city, on the beach opposite the Panduranga Swamy temple, around 1.30 p.m.”
The crowd was seen at other beaches, such as Jodugullapalem, Appughar, Bheemili, Peda Jalaripeta, and Sagar Nagar, apart from the key beach points. The beaches at Anakapalli district’s Kalyanapulova, Revupolavaram Beach and Pudimadaka beach also witnessed large crowds since the early hours.
People taking a holy dip after overnight prayers celebrating Sivaratri at RK Beach in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.
| Photo Credit:
K.R. DEEPAK
Visakhapatnam City Police Commissioner Shanka Brata Bagchi said that a large police force and swimmers were deployed at the beaches as part of security measures by the city police, even though there was a shortage of staff due to the MLC election on the same day.
People offering prayers to a sand Siva Lingam after taking a holy dip as part of Sivaratri celebrations at RK Beach in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.
| Photo Credit:
K.R. DEEPAK
The police used drones and rip current monitors at several beaches to ensure that people did not wade too deep into the waters. Special teams were pressed into service with fishing boats near the shore and making announcements to the people to take the holy dip only at where the water was shallow. A few NGOs and leaders from political parties arranged stalls distributing water packets and prasadams to the devotees.
People also thronged the RK beach on Wednesday night and Thursday morning to have a glimpse of the huge replica of Shiva Lingam and witness cultural programmes organised on the occasion of Maha Sivaratri by T. Subbarami Reddy Seva Peetam.
Published – February 27, 2025 07:51 pm IST
