Devotees take holy dip to mark solar eclipse

Hyderabad, July 22 :-

Nearly 10 lakh devotees from various parts of Andhra Pradesh took a dip in sacred rivers Godavari, Krishna and Tungabhadra on Wednesday morning during the solar eclipse.

The Surya Grahan has started before sunrise and ended by 07:21 am. The total solar eclipse taking place in Hyderabad is partial and other parts of Andhra Pradesh. The moon has covered the sun 60 to 70 per cent in Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Nalgonda, Kurnool, Vijayawada and nearby regions.

The pilgrims made a beeline for the holy rivers and the government has made tight security arrangements for the convenience of devotees.

Thousands of skywatchers burst into an applause as darkness descended soon after sunrise as the moon came in between the earth and the sun during the solar eclipse this morning.

Astronomers who had gathered in Hyderabad witnessed the partial eclipse between 5.20 am and 7:21 am.

But astronomy buffs and star gazers were disappointed from the city on Wednesday morning as the clouds play spoilsport during solar eclipse.

“Most probably because of clouds nothing is visible,” observed B G Siddharth, Director-General of B M Birla Science Centre, here on Wednesday.

The eclipse reached a maximum of 85 per cent at 6.21 am and gradually reduced, ending the celestial phenomenon around 7.20 am.

With another lunar eclipse slated to occur on August 7 -- the third eclipse in a month’s time -- he said rumours were started that some calamity like a tsunami or earthquake could occur. “It is utter nonsense, there is no connection between an earthquake and an eclipse,” he added.

Meanwhile, all major temples in the State, including the abode of Lord Venkateswara atop Tirumala, Lord Mallikarjuna Swamy at Srisailam and Surya Devalayam in Srikakulam, which remain closed during the eclipse, were reopened at 8 am on Wednesday.

After the completion of the post-eclipse, rituals like ‘Suddhi’, ‘punyavachanam’ and ‘koluvu’ were performed in all temples.

The temple managements were dispensed with the performance of ‘arjitha sevas’ like ‘Archana Ananthara Darshan’ and the weekly ‘Sahasra kalasabhishekam,’ all the pre-dawn rituals like ‘Suprabhatam’, ‘Thomala’ and ‘Archana’ in ‘Ekantham’ after the eclipse. According to the TTD’s almanac the solar eclipse will last from 05.28 am to 07.21 am.