TANNERAMUDU UTSAVAM OBSERVED WITH RELIGIOUS FERVOUR
TIRUMALA, DECEMBER 30; The festival of “Tirumalanambi Tanneramudu” has been celebrated with utmost religious fervour as mark of respect to the commendable and dedicated services offered by Tirumala Nambi to the presiding deity of Lord Venkateswara in the hill town of Tirumala on Thursday evening.
This festival is in vogue since 1000AD and it was introduced by famous Sri Vaishnavaite Sri Ramanujacharya in the Srivari temple. Every year after the completion of Adhyayanotsavams, the next day, Tanniramudu fesival is performed by the successors of Tirumalanambi. After the Sahasra Deepalankara Seva, the processional deity of Lord Malayappaswamy is taken on a procession along the four mada streets and later brought to Vahanamandapam. On the other hand, the successors of Tirumalanambi from the Tirumalanambi temple carrying holy Akasaganga water over their head reached Vahanamandapam, From there in the presence of Jiyangar Swamy and Tholappacharya dynasty chief person, Sri Krishnaswamy Tatacharya and other Archakas and temple officials, the Lord is taken inside the Tirumala shrine amidst chanting of Vedic hymns. Inside the temple, the successors of Tirumalanambi, has given a celestial bath with the Akasa Ganga waters to the golden feet of the presiding deity by chanting “Tirumozhi” pasurams penned by Tirumala Nambi.
According to temple legendary Tirumala Nambi who was born in the year 973AD was an ardent devotee of Lord Venkateswara and he used to bring holy water from Papavinasanam to perform puja in Srivari temple. One day while he was on his routine job, Lord in the guise of a hunter approached and asked Nambi for some water to drink. When Nambi refused since it was meant for puja purpose, the hunter punctured the pot from behind and quenched his thirst. Nambi was broken at this gesture of hunter, but the Lord asked Nambi not to worry and thereupon discharged an arrow which pierced the rocks, with water gushing out of them. Calling this new divine fountain as “Akasa Ganga”, the Lord asked Nambi to henceforth collect water from this fountain for his puja and disappeared. Then Nambi realised that the hunter was none other than the Lord Venkateswara. As lord called Nambi fondly as “Thatha”, his family inherited the name “Thatcharya”. Since then the successors of Nambi have been doing the festival of Tanneeramudu (which means a water with the taste of nectar) as a mark of respect to the dedicated services of Tirumalanambi to Lord Venkateswara”.
ISSUED BY TTD PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER, TIRUPATI