VEDANTA DESIKAR SALAKATLA UTSAVAM IN SRI GT FROM OCT.13-22

TIRUPATI, OCT. 5: The ancient temple of Sri Govindaraja Swamy will observe Vedanta Desigar Salakatla Utsavam from October 13-22.

Every year coinciding the birth star of great Sri Vaishnavaite acharyas who have sanctified their lives in the service of Lord, TTD celebrates SALAKATLA Utsavams in honour of them, which has been under practice since several decades.

Vedanta Desikan(1268–1370) was one of the most important Sri vaishnava gurus and one of the most brilliant stalwarts of Sri Vaishnavism post Ramanujacharya period. He was a poet, an ardent devotee, a great philosopher and a Master-Teacher. He is believed to be the incarnation of the divine bell in the shrine of Tirumala.Another interesting thing is Vedanta Desigar was also born on Shravana Nakshatra which happens tobe birth star of Lord. So his Tirunakshatrotsavam is being observed for ten days coinciding Brahmotsavams of Lord at Tirumala.

As a part of the utsavams, on the last day on the auspicious Vijaya Dasami, sacred waters from Narasimha Teertham is brought and abhishekam is performed to Sri Vedanta Desigan in the sub-shrine located inside Sri GT between 8:30 am and 9:30am. Later on the same day evening between 3 pm and 5pm Snapana tirumanjanam is performed to deities and later they will be taken on a procession in Aswa Vahanam to Paruveta Mandapam in Renigunta. After His return from the festival, the deities are taken along the mada streets between 8:30pm to 9:30pm.

ISSUED BY TTD PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER, TIRUPATI