The nine-day annual Brahmotsavams of Lord Venkateswara came to and end with Chakrasnanam on Friday.
Tens of thousands of devotees who had congregated on the steps of the ‘Pushkarini’ (temple tank) several hours in advance waited patiently for the auspicious moment and plunged into the waters as the temple priests ceremoniously dipped the idol of Lord Chakrathalwar in the tank.
Earlier, the processional deities of Lord Malayappa and his two consorts were carried out in a grand procession on a golden palanquin to the temple of Lord Varaha Swamy situated on the northwestern bank of the Pushkarini along with the idol of Lord Chakrathalwar in a separate palanquin. “Snapanan Thirumanjanam” was performed to the deities ahead of the Chakrasnanam amid recital of verses from Puncha Sukthams.
As a precautionary measure, expert swimmers were deployed even as the Police and TTD vigilance and security personnel maintained a strict vigil at the temple tank. Later in the night, the temple flag was traditiuonally lowered from atop the Dwajasthambham inside the temple marking the “Dwaja avarohanam” ceremony.
TTD Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal has expressed satisfaction over the conclusion of the nine-day annual Brahmotsavams on an impressive note.
Speaking to media on Friday Mr. Singhal attributed the success to the matchless team spirit exhibited by various departments of the TTD and its employees, in addition to the coordinated efforts of the police and APSRTC.
Detailing the statistics, he said the hundi registered an increase of 35.44% in the offerings during the last eight days when compared to 2015 when the town witnessed two Brahmotsavams. The total proceeds earned has been put at ₹20.53 crore as against ₹15.16 crore in 2015. Likewise the income was also higher by ₹1.83 crore when compared to ₹18.70 crore during the previous year.
Similarly the TTD earned an all-time high income of ₹9.13 crore by way of sale of darshan tickets and ₹4.77 crore by laddu sale. The TTD netted an overall income of ₹25.39 crore in eight days as against ₹23.12 crore last year when it witnessed only one Brahmotsavam. Devotees have showered encomiums and expressed their joy over the decision of advancing the evening Vahana Seva by an hour if the pouring in mails are any indication.
Mr. Singhal said the management had also taken up the issue of reducing the deployment of security forces during the festival period with the Tiruapti (Urban) police. “Primarily we have reached an understanding that there should be no compromise in the deployment of forces on the day of Garuda Seva and its preceding day as the town is bound to witness vast crowds. But with regard to other days of the festival when the turnout in the crowd is not that alarming, the deployment can be significantly brought down. However this is only a primary understanding and a final decision will be taken only after discussing the issue threadbare with all the stakeholders,” Mr.Singhal said.
