Chief Minister's thanksgiving to Cauvery

The day coincided with Theerthodbhava at Talacauvery in Kodagu district on early hours of Monday.

As the birthday of river Cauvery was celebrated with pomp and gaiety at Madikeri, Yeddyurappa offered thanksgiving to the river which is short of brimming, although the ceremony is conducted when the river is overflowing. The ritual, something akin to the annual offerings to the Nile by the ancient Egyptian pharaohs was begun by R Gundu Rao when he was chief minister. It has become an annual do for his successors.

Water Resources Minister Basavaraja Bommai, Home and Transport and District-In-charge Minister R Ashoka, Medical Education Minister S A Ramdas accompanied Yeddyurappa. The Chief Minister also offered worship to the idol of Cauvery at the Brindavan gardens, after which an image of Cauvery was taken in a colourful procession. 

The Chief Minister reminisced his childhood visits to the KRS and Mysore during Dasara. “I was born and brought up in Bookanakere in K R Pet and Mandya. I was accompanying my father to sell agriculture products in market,” he recalled.

Yeddyurappa said there has been good showers across the State and all dams have reached brim. The lifeline of Cauvery basin is also full and he hoped for a good crop.

The water-level in the dam was 124.10 ft against the maximum of 124.8 ft when Yeddyurappa made the votive offering on Monday and inflow stood at 9204 cusecs and outflow at 4963 cusecs.

On the same day previous year, the water level was hovering around 123.56 ft and the inflow in the dam was 10106 cusecs against the outflow of 9380 cusecs.

The dam had filled thrice last year after incessant rains in catchment areas during monsoon season. This year, the dam has filled in October owing to delay in monsoon and scanty rainfall.