ENARADA, Mysore, August 1, 2013:
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today offered traditional Bagina and offered pooja to goddess Cauvery at krishnaraja sagar reservoir (KRS) as it touched the maximum capacity of 124.80 feet.
The reservoir reached its maximum capacity after a gap of two years.
The programme was a ritual performed by every chief minister. The ritual began from R Gundurao, then Chief Minister in early eighties on the occasion of KRS dam getting filled to its brim.
However, the chief minister’s wife not accompanied the Bagina offering ceremony, a custom which was followed by many chief ministers in the past.
Though it is not mandatory on the part of CM to offer bagina along with his wife, the custom has been followed by many CMs in the past with some exceptions.
In the past, J H Patel and S R Bommai performed the ritual on their own with their wives remaining away from the function. While widower B S Yeddyurappa performed and offered bagina on his own.
It may be recalled that CM’S wife avoided public glare recently when she visited Chamundi temple to perform ashada Shukravara pooja on budget day. “She came early in the morning and offered pooja to leave the place before the sun rise” said a source in the Chamundi temple.
CM arrived to the dam in a copter to offer the bagina and pooja and return back to Bangalore as the election code of conduct for the coming Lok Sabha Bye-elections, has barred him from making speech on the occasion. CEC has not permitted officials from the district who are associated with the election work to involve themselves in the function directly or indirectly.
Later speaking to journalists in Bangalore the chief minister expressed his happiness since, all the reservoirs across the state was filled up more than expected. State government will take final decision very soon on filing of the tanks situated below the reservoirs, he said.
Mandya and Mysore district incharge ministers Ambarish and V. Srinivasa Prasad, along with water resource minister M B Patil and minsters H C Mahadevappa and H S Mahadeva Prasad and MLA’s were present on the occasion.
