Udupi: Home Minister Initiates Tradition of Offering Baagina to Swarna River
 
Report and Pics by Hemanath Padubidri
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (RD/SP)
 
Udupi, Jul 21: The programme of offering ‘Baagina’ to Swarna River, the lifeline of the district that provides drinking water to citizens across the district, here was held on Tuesday July 21 morning. The ceremony was held for the first time in the history of the town and will be continued every year hereafter.
 
State home and district in-charge minister Dr V S Acharya accompanied by his wife, gave a beginning to the tradition of offering of ‘Baagina’ to Swarna River, a gesture to convey gratitude of the people for the abundance of drinking water, on Chaturdashi day, Tuesday July 21.  The citizens expect the tradition to be continued by the future district in-charge ministers.

 
The people across the district believe that bathing in Swarna River on Chaturdashi day purifies them and cleanse them of their sins, because of the fact that the great sage Sri Vadiraj had stated in his contemporary scriptures that Swarna River gets the same divinity of Holy Ganga of northern India on Chaturdashi day. He also wrote in his work that those who bathe on this day in this river will be cleansed of all sins.  Sri Siddi Vinayaka temple, Simra also lies close to the venue of Swarna River, where the ritual of offering of ‘Baagina’ was held. 
 
Acting deputy commissioner Prasanna Kumar, SP Praveen Madhukar Pawar, municipal president Dinakar Shetty, MLA Raghupati Bhat, municipal commissioner Gokuldas Naik, Sri Siddi Vinayak temple managing trustee Ajit Pai, Ramesh Rao, Padigar Srinivas Tantri, Vasudev Bhat, people’s representatives, council members, officers and hundreds of devotees attended the ceremony.