Religious fervour marked the ‘Ankurarpanam’ festival on Sunday at the famous hill temple of Lord Venkateswara. The festival is performed as a prelude to the nine-day annual Brahmotsavams scheduled to take off to a colourful start with ‘Dhwajarohanam’ on Monday.
In connection with the festival, the commander-in-chief of the army of the Lord’s domain Lord Vishvaksena was taken around the mada streets encircling the sacred shrine.
The entire town wore a festive look and the air was charged with spiritual ecstasy.
Mythology has it that Lord Vishvaksena goes round the thoroughfares supervising the arrangements being made for the grand conduct of the mega religious carnival which attracts multitude of devotees from different parts of the country. As is the practice, he also collected the ‘Putta mannu’ (sacred earth) at the south-west corner of the hill temple required for the ‘Yagasala’ inside the main temple complex where the priests after completion of certain special religious formalities ceremoniously sowed the ‘nava dhanyams’ in the sacred earthen pots for germination followed by Asthanam at the Ranganayakula mandapam.
To facilitate the conduct of the grand procession, the temple administration had dispensed with the conduct of certain post-noon sevas like Vasanthotsavam and the Sashasra deepalankara seva.
