The annual ‘Pushpa Yagam' festival was held on Thursday at the famous hill temple of Lord Venkateswara amid religious fervour.
Over seven tonnes of a wide variety of bright and aromatic flowers were used in the festival. Earlier in the morning ‘Snapana Thirumanjanam' was performed to the ‘utsava' deities of Lord Malayappa and his two divine consorts inside the main temple complex.
Immense importance is attached to the festival, which according to scriptures is observed to pray to the Lord to save the earth from natural calamities such as earthquakes, cyclones and epidemics.
Grand procession
Officials and the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) staff carried the flowers in a grand procession to the main temple complex.
Prominent among those who participated in the festival include Andhra Pradesh Housing Minister Kanna Lakshminarayana, TTD Chairman K. Bapiraju, and Executive Officer L.V. Subramanyam. In connection with the festival, the TTD has dispensed with the performance of several pre-dawn and day-time rituals.
