SPIRITUAL ECSTASY MARKS ‘KARTHIKA VANABHOJANAM’

TIRUMALA, NOV 24: Religious ebullience permeated the hearts of hundreds of pilgrims who thronged the sprawling lawns of paruvata mandapam in Tirumala on Sunday where in the temple management of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) organised the annual Karthika Vanabhojanam in a colouful way.

Meanwhile the day started with the procession of Sri Malayappa Swamy mounted atop the gaja vahanam from Vahana Mandapam by 8.30am to the venue of paruveta mandapam – situated about two kilometres from the hill temple amidst thick forests of Tirumala while the idols of His two divine consorts Sri devi and Bhu devi accompanied on a tastefully decorated palanquin from Ranganayakula Mandapam to Paruveta Mandapam.

Scores of bhajan troupes preceded the procession and with children donning various guises of deities from Hindu scriptures.

At the mandapam, the temple priests ceremoniously carried out Snapana Thirumanjanam to the deities from 11am to 12 noon. The deities were seated on a high golden altar and were given a holy bath with flavoured water and then with milk, curd, honey, coconut water, turmeric and finally rendered bath with sandalwood paste. The aroma enthralled the pilgrims who were already immersed deeply with spiritual ecstasy. The ceremony was followed by Samarpana and Naivedyam.

Later, the pilgrims of all ages took part enthusaistically in the community dining organised by the temple administration at the expansive green belt.

TTD JEO Sri K.S.Sreenivasa Raju, Addl CVSO Sri Sivakumar Reddy, SE Sri Ramesh Reddy, DyEO Sri Chinnamgari Ramana, Sri Rama Rao, AEO’s Sri Siva Reddy, Sri Ramurthy Reddy, Sri Venugopal, Catering Officer Sri Sastry and others took part.

ISSUED BY PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER, TTDs, TIRUPATI