LORD ENCHANTS DEVOTEES ON FLORAL MATRESS

TIRUMALA, OCT 31: Enchanting fragrance spread all over the premises of Sampangi Prakaram, where the festival of flowers-Pushpayagam took place in ceremonial way in Tirumala on Friday.

The annual festival of Pushpayagam was performed to the processional deities of Lord Sri Malayappa Swamy and His two Consorts. Usually this religious ceremony is performed after Annual Brahmotsavams on the asterism of Sravanam which also happens to be the birth star of Lord Venkateswara in the month of Karthika as per Hindu calendar.

After the daily pujas, Sri Malayappa Swami along with Sridevi and Bhudevi are seated on a special golden platform in Sampangi Mandapam and Snapana Tirumanjanam was performed. Later the utsava murtis were decked up and the most unique worship was done to them with tones of varieties of flowers.

Traditional flowers including sampangi, maruvam, davanam, chamanthi, roses, kaluva etc. were blessed to have touched the deities from top to bottom in this floral bath rendered to them amidst chanting of vedic hymns.

This religious floral fete has come to an end with the deities immersed to their neck depth. Later procession was taken place in the evening.

There was an age old belief that this festival is usually performed to save the earth from natural calamities such as quakes, cyclones, epidemics and appease the Lord to save the life of humanity, flora and fauna from all the catastrophes.

The Pushpa Yagam Festival originally was started in the 15th Century and was reinstated in 1980’s by the TTDs. Meanwhile TTD has cancelled all arjitha sevas in connection with this festival on Friday.

TTD Executive Officer Sri MG Gopal, Joint Executive Officer Sri KS Sreenivasa Raju, Sri DyEO(Temple) Sri Chinnamgari Ramana, Garden Supdt Sri Srinivas, Temple Peishkar Sri R Selvam, Garden staff and large number of Devotees took part.

ISSUED BY TTDs PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER, TIRUPATI