Pushkara Maha Mela at Cauvery opposed

A section of believers are taking exception to the ongoing 12-day ‘Dakshina Bhageerathi Cauvery Pushkara Maha Mela’ on the banks of the River Cauvery at Srirangapatna in Mandya district and at Ramanathapura in Hassan district since September 12.

However, since the arrangements are being made for the mela, there has been an increase in the business of puja related articles. A trader, who has put up a makeshift shop near Sopanakatte, the venue of the mela in Srirangapatna, said that hotels and auto drivers are also making brisk business.

Some critics however, claim that the organisers, Brahmana Sangha of Mysuru, Shashwathi Dharmika Kriya Samiti, Abhinva Bharat and Simhabhoomi organisations of Srirangapatna and Nandamuri Basava Taraka Ramarao Seva Trust, in Andhra Pradesh, are exploiting the emotions of the people for their beloved River Cauvery. Purohits from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have been camping in large numbers, to cater to the service requirements of the devotees.

However, Shalva Pille Iyengar, a religious researcher, says bathing in the rivers while it is raining in the catchment areas, before the mud and sand in the river settles down, is scientifically unhealthy.

Quoting from ‘Uttara Kalamrita’ a textbook for astrology, he said, “Bathing in the rivers is not advised roughly from June 15 to September 15. Besides the dirt, there is also the danger of the river swelling suddenly as it may rain in some place under its catchment area.”

According to the organisers, who quote a Sanskrit shloka, the ‘pushkara mela’ is held when Guru (Jupiter) enters Tula (Libra) rashi. However, Iyengar said, he could not trace the shloka to any of the known scriptures.