In spite of the day-long rain, nearly one lakh devotees took a dip in ‘Padma Sarovaram’, the temple tank in Tiruchanur here on Sunday, bringing curtains to the nine-day Karthika Brahmotsavams.
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Even as the deity of ‘Sudarsana Chakra’ (holy discus) was brought down and immersed in the tank, thousands of devotees who were already standing waist-deep in the tank took a dip simultaneously. According to mythology, Goddess Padmavathi appeared in a golden lotus in this very ‘Padma Sarovaram’ tank, and became the adopted daughter of King Akasaraja.
The incessant drizzle right from the morning was no deterrent to the devotees, who started gathering into the tank several hours before the actual ritual was set to be performed, as it is believed that taking a dip simultaneously along with the deity would rid one of all sins. Earlier, a celestial bath ‘Tirumanjanam’ was performed to the deities of Chakra and Sri Padmavathi at the Panchami Theertha Mandapam situated at the tank bund. The day started with the conduct of ‘Choornabhishekam’, when sesame oil and a rich ‘Choornam’ paste was applied to the deity of Goddess Padmavathi, amid chanting of ‘Sri Mantram’ and ‘Sri Suktam’.
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‘Saarey’, a traditional set of special birthday gift from Tirumala Sri Venkateswara temple for His beloved queen Sri Padmavathi was brought by priests led by by Additional Executive Officer A.V. Dharma Reddy from Tirumala downhill, which was received by Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal and Joint EO P. Basant Kumar at Tiruchanur. The gift includes ‘Lakshmi Vaddanam’ weighing 1.3 kg, which was adorned around the deity’s waist.
Devotees, mostly from bordering Vellore, Chennai, Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur districts of Tamil Nadu converged in large numbers for the event. Apart from the TTD, several social and charitable organisations offered food for the visiting pilgrims. Women vied to buy turmeric in large quantities, as it is considered auspicious to buy it on the holy occasion.