By IANS,
Hyderabad : As the unprecedented floods caused by a swollen Krishna river led to widespread destruction in Andhra Pradesh, a state minister Tuesday offered prayers to calm the river.
P. Ramachandra Reddy, state minister for forests, environment, science and technology, offered special prayers on the banks of the river in Vijayawada city, which is facing threat of inundation along with hundreds of villages in Krishna and Guntur districts.
Amid the chanting of Vedic hymns by a group of priests, the minister, with several other people, prayed to ‘Krishnamma’ or mother Krishna, as the Hindus call the river, to quieten and prevent any further damage.
Ramachandra Reddy, who is also the minister in charge of Krishna district, offered flowers to the river and stood in prayer with folded hands.
“I have prayed to Krishnamma to calm down and stop further damage,” the minister told reporters.
He later offered special prayers at the Kankadurga temple on the banks of the river. Several residents of Vijayawada and surrounding villages also offered prayers.
The week-long floods caused by the river has already claimed 52 lives and rendered half a million people homeless in five districts. Chief Minister K. Rosaiah, quoting experts, has said that the massive floods were a rare phenomenon and occur once in 1,000 years.