Koppal: Devotees who come to have darshan of the deity here believe that if they take a holy dip in the river, they become holy. But this time the Tungabhadra River is empty without rain. Devotees are taking a holy dip in the polluted water standing in the sporadic pit dig in the river bed. The Huligemma Temple at Huligi, an important religious centre in Koppal taluk, is a place where devotees are struggling without water.
It usually rains well in the month of June. Water too flows in the river during this time. This year, it is the month of July but there has been no widespread rainfall. There is no water in the Tungabhadra River.
The water level in Tungabhadra Reservoir has dropped to the ground level. The Tungabhadra River is in a state of drying up. In some places, water has stagnated in pits in the river and the water is completely contaminated.
There is no water at Huligi
Sri Huligemma darshan of Huligi is popularly known as Adi Parashakthi in Koppal. Lakhs of devotees come from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra. It is customary for devotees who come to have darshan of the deity to take a holy dip in the Tungabhadra River which flows nearby.
Polluted river water
But this time there is no water in Tungabhadra. There is stagnant water in the pits in the river. The water and the riverbed are completely contaminated by the devotees who bathe there. The river water smells bad. But the devotees are taking a bath in the same water as per the tradition . There is no bathing ghat here. Though the river is polluted, it has not been cleant.
The devotees who came for a bath are angry that the Huligemma Temple Committee, which is supposed to take steps to prevent the dumping of garbage and plastic in the river, has not taken note of it yet.
When asked about this, the Executive Officer of the Huligemma temple said that the water is not flowing in the river without rain. Borewells have been laid on four sides for devotees coming for bathing. Yet some are taking bath in the river. Adequate water has been provide for drinking water, he added.
There is a proverb called ‘Ganga Snaana Tunga Paana’ meaning bathe in Ganga and drink from Tunga. However, the current scene is such that the Tungabhadra River is completely polluted. Meanwhile, devotees coming to the holy place on the banks of the river are struggling for water.