Vijayawada: Riverbanks and sacred bathing ghats across Andhra Pradesh witnessed a steady flow of devotees on Mahalaya Amavasya as people gathered to remember their departed parents and ancestors through traditional rituals, including tarpanam and pinda pradanam. Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan also performed ancestral rites on the auspicious occasion.Observed during Pitru Paksha, the 15-day period following the full moon in the Hindu month of Bhadrapada, Mahalaya Amavasya holds special significance for families seeking to pay homage to their ancestors. According to Hindu belief, offering prayers and performing prescribed rituals during this period brings peace to departed souls and blessings to their descendants.This year, the rituals drew particular attention, with social media videos and discussions encouraging more people to observe the tradition. At Vijayawada’s Durga Ghat and other riverfront locations, devotees performed ceremonies with the assistance of priests. Several also distributed food and helped the poor as part of their observances.Koduru Naga Sriharsha, a software professional from Hyderabad, travelled to Vijayawada specifically to perform the rituals at Durga Ghat.“We had heard about Mahalaya Paksha earlier but had never performed these rituals. Through social media, we learnt about the significance of remembering our ancestors during these 15 days and offering pinda pradanam on Mahalaya Amavasya. I was told that performing the rituals beside a sacred river would be auspicious, so I came here from Hyderabad. Seeing hundreds of people participating in the ceremonies was heartening,” he said.Chandrababu Naidu performed special rituals for his parents, Kharjura Naidu and Amanamma, as well as his in-laws, former chief minister and actor NT Rama Rao and his wife Basavatarakam. He shared photographs of the ceremonies on his official X account.Meanwhile, Pawan Kalyan stayed away from the cabinet meeting on Saturday to perform ancestral rites for his father, Venkat Rao, and other elders. His office said he could not attend the cabinet meeting in person as he was engaged in the Mahalaya Paksha observances. Another Jana Sena minister, Nadendla Manohar, also didn’t attend the cabinet since he was busy with Mahalaya Paksha rituals.