Devotees take holy dip in Godavari on 'Mahashivratri'

Rajahmundry: Over two lakh devotees took holy dip in river Godavari in East and West Godavari districts in Andhra Pradesh on festival 'Maha Shivratri' on Tuesday.

Devotees thronged the 14 ghats across river Godavari since wee hours today and offered prayers at Draksharama, Kotipalli, Pithapuram, Samarlkota, Umakotilingeswara Swamy, Uma Markendaya Swamy temples in the district.

Due to heavy rush, VIP darshan was curtailed at some of the temples and only limited special tickets were issued so that all devotees can pay obeisance, a temple official said.

Meanwhile, over 70,000 devotees took dip in river in Gospada Kshetram in Kovvur, around 10 kms from away here. Other famous temple of Lord Shiva in Pattiseema in west Godavari district saw devotees in large numbers from various places.