Brahmotsavam to be celebrated at Tirupati

Tirupati, Mar 26: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) will celebrate a nine-day annual Brahmotsavam and 'Ramanavami' at the Sri Kodandarama Swamy temple here.

The festival would begin on March 27 with the hoisting of the temple flag (dwajarohanam) amidst chanting of Vedic hymns during 'Vrishaba Lagnam' at 1015 hrs. In the evening the idol of Lord Kodandarama would be taken out on a procession through the 'mada' streets of the temple.

Important days of the festival included 'garuda vahanam' on the fifth day, 'hanumath vahanam' and 'gaja vahanam' on the sixth day, 'surya prabha' and 'chandra prabha' on the seventh day.

The eighth day would see the rathotsavam. On the ninth day and final day, 'chakrasnanam' would be held in the temple tank (pushkarani) and the festival would conclude with lowering the temple flag in the evening.

'Unjalseva' would be celebrated every day in the evening.

After this, the three-day 'Ramanavami Utsavam' would be celebrated from April 7 to April 9, with 'Sri Sitarama Kalyanam' on April 8 and Sri Rama Pattabhishekam on the final day.

Huge cututs of Lord Rama have been placed at sevaral points, and the streets illuminated, in this temple twon.

UNI