The five-day annual float festival (Theppotsavams) on Wednesday took off to a ceremonious start at the famous hill temple of Lord Venkateswara.
The processional deities of Lord Rama, Lakshmana, Sita and Hanuman were taken around the mada streets encircling the shrine in a grand procession to the venue – Srivari Pushkarini – where the deities had a celestial ride in the tank waters.
Ecstasy gripped the air as the deities mounted atop the flotilla was pulled around the Nirali mandapam situated on the temple tank. Devotees went into raptures as the flotilla was dragged thrice along the tank waters to the accompaniment of traditional music and rhythmic chanting of vedic hymns by a battery of temple priests.
The two-tier flotilla was tastefully decorated with large varieties of flowers and colourfully illuminated befitting the festival.
Adding to the luminosity, huge electrical arches depicting various images of Lord Venkateswara and different 'avataras' of Lord Maha Vishnu were erected around the temple tank.
Thousands of devotees witnessed the colourful festival that lasted for more than an hour. A batch of expert swimmers were deployed along the temple tank to meet any kind of emergency.
