The abode of Lord Venkateswara turned into a sea of humanity on the occasion of Garuda Seva on the fifth day of the annual Brahmotsavams at Tirumala temple on October 8 (Tuesday).
The temple town wore a festive look with the gathering of lakhs of devotees from various parts of the country.
The open-top galleries around the hill shrine, which can accommodate around 1.75 lakh pilgrims in a single sitting, were packed to their capacity by the afternoon and those arriving in the evening had to struggle to finding a place.
The TTD officials had a tough time catering to the needs of the devotees. The Srivari Seva volunteers, scouts and guides ensured an uninterrupted supply of food and drinking water to devotees.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Executive Officer J. Syamala Rao and Additional EO EO Ch. Venkaiah Chowdary supervised the arrangements made around the mada streets. Mr. Syamala Rao interacted with the devotees and elicited feedback about the arrangements.
Tirupati Superintendent of Police L. Subbarayudu supervised the security arrangements at the temple. Mr. Subbarayudu was seen instructing police personnel not to cause any inconvenience to pilgrims. He inspected the arrangements along the Inner Ring Road, entry points leading to the galleries and the Central Command and Control Room.
Lord Malayappa Swamy riding the Garuda Vahanam during the Vahana Seva procession on the fifth day of the annual Brahmotsavams at Tirumala on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The Garuda Seva procession was off to a colourful start at 6.30 p.m. amid sonorous chanting of ‘Govinda Govinda’ by devotees. The ecstasy reached a feverish peak as the procession of Lord Malayappa Swamy seated atop the bespangled vehicle was brought out of the Vahan Mandapam.
The devotees clapped and sang devotional hymns in the praise of the Lord. The offering of harati by thousands of devotees was a sight to behold.
Adding grandeur to the festival, the deity was adorned with rare, precious and antique jewellery such as Makarakanti, multi-layered golden Sahasranamavali Haram, Lakshmi Kasula Haram, diamond-studded golden crown among others.
With all the roads leading into the temple town remaining chock-a-block, pilgrims wishing to have the darshan of the presiding deity inside the temple were instructed to join the queue lines from the Silathoranam point.
Published - October 08, 2024 08:00 pm IST
