Amaravati: The state’s new capital has got its name from the ancient town of Amaravati situated on the banks of river Krishna and there is a vision to provide world-class facilities in it.

However, the historical town, Amaravati, still lags behind in basic facilities, despite being chosen as a Heritage city by the Union government.

The public from all areas in the state, other states in the country and foreign countries visit the ancient Amaralingeswara temple in the town. During the ensuing Pushkarams, visiting the town, also called as Amararamam, is a must.

The Krishna Pushkarams are just 26 days away but the works in the town are progressing at a snail’s pace.

A few works have been started for the Krishna Pushkarams in Amaravati, which promoted Saivism, Buddhism and Jainism, but none is complete yet.

According to the epics, during the fight between Subramanya with demon Tarakasura, the Shivalingam in his throat broke and fell in five different spots, which became the Pancharama kshetras. The first of these is Amareswara at Amaravati where Lord Indra and the Devas are believed to have worshipped Lord Shiva.

Amaramam is considered sacred for three things, the Krishna River, an important 'Kshetra' with a 'Sthalamahatyam' and the 'Sri Mahalinga Murthy'.

Amaravati Development Authority chairman J. Veeranjaneyulu said works at the Pushkar ghats and decoration of the ancient Amaralingeswara temple are going on at a slow pace. He said that pigs were wandering in the temple. The approach roads are in a bad shape and there are no toilets. Even the RTC bus station lacks facilities. Around 3-4 lakh pilgrims would visit it during river fete.