APTDC to unveil spiritual tour from today

Rajamahendravaram: The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) is set to launch a new spiritual tourism circuit in the erstwhile East Godavari district starting Saturday.

State Tourism, Culture and Cinematography Minister Kandula Durgesh announced that a one-day tour package has been organised to enable people to visit prominent temples and Pancharama pilgrimage sites.

The spiritual tour package includes six holy sites: Korukonda, Annavaram, Pithapuram, Samarlakota, Daksharamam and Vadapalli. Minister Durgesh mentioned that the package will be available every Saturday, with plans to extend it to Sundays depending on the response.

Buses will depart at 6 am from the tourism department’s information and reservation counter at Saraswati Ghat in Rajamahendravaram. The tour will return to Pushkar Ghat in Rajamahendravaram by 7:30 pm the same day. Tourists will participate in a special ceremony offering ‘Harathi’ to the sacred Godavari river.

The APTDC has allocated 18-seater buses for the tour, and groups of 18 can contact the tourism department to book. Ticket prices have been set at Rs 1,000 for adults and Rs 800 for children aged 3 to 10. The journey begins with a visit to the ancient Korukonda Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple, followed by the Satyanarayana Swamy temple at Ratnagiri in Annavaram and then to the Pada Gaya temple in Pithapuram.

Participants will also visit the Kumararama Bhimeswara temple in Samarlakota and the Bhimeswara Swamy temple in Draksharamam.

The tour will conclude with a visit to the Venkateswara Swamy temple in Vadapalli, Konaseema.