Splendour marked the conduct of annual ‘Anivara Asthanam’ on Thursday at the famous hill temple of Lord Venkateswara. After observing a series of religious proceedings Asthanam was observed to the processional deities of Malayappa swamy and Viswaksena – the commander-in-chief of the army of Lord’s domain -- at Bangaru vakili inside the sanctum sanctorum. As is customary, the priests then formally placed the temple records showing the revenue and expenditure of the hill temple at the lotus feet of the deity for his kind consent. The festival indicates the beginning of a new financial year for the temple accounts.
As a mark of goodwill gesture the authorities of the famous Sri Vaishnavite temple of Sri Rangam (Tamil Nadu) headed by its Chariman Venu Srinivasan and Joint Commissioner Jayaraman presented a pair of silk ‘vastrams’ commemorating the occasion.
‘Pushpa Pallaki’Later in the evening the procession of ‘Pushpa Pallaki’ was organised. The processional deities of Lord Malayappa flanked on either side by his two divine consorts mounted atop the exquisitely decorated flower palanquin was taken around in a grand procession around the mada streets encircling the holy shrine. The palanquin was tastefully decorated with varied hues of aromatic flowers and colourfully illuminated befitting the occasion. About six tonnes of flowers are estimated to have gone into the making of the palanquin. Eminent floral experts from the neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka were specially invited in the making of the elegant pallaki. Thousands of devotees took part in the colourful procession that lasted for more than an hour.
