Is it a miracle? Heavy rains lash Karnataka after prayers

This incident may make the most hardened atheists think twice. On the very day 34,000 temples across Karnataka started conducting special prayers to seek rainfall in the parched state, heavy rains lashed coastal parts of the state and Bangalore.

The Karnataka government had announced that special prayers would be conducted at 34,000 temples in Kanataka in two phases. The first phase started today while the second will be held on August 2.

The state government, facing the prospect of a severe drought this year, is spending a whopping Rs 17 crore on these prayers. Each temple has received an allocation of Rs 5,000.

Meanwhile, heavy rains have hit the coastal belt of Karnataka and Malnad region. It has been raining heavily in Bangalore since Friday morning.

However, key areas of North Karnataka, which are facing their worst drought in the last 42 years, are yet to receive adequate rainfall.

Incidentally, the government's initiative to conduct prayers had been criticised severely as many felt that the government was spending money unnecessarily.