TIRUMALA: It was an evening to remember for those visiting the hill shrine on Sunday.
The devotees not only had an opportunity to see the Lord riding on the dazzling Muthyapu Pandiri Vahanam on the four mada streets, but also had the chance to hear none other than the doyen of Carnatic music Dr Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna.
Balamuralikrishna on Sunday performed at the Nada Neerajanam open air platform near the Srivari temple.
The 84-year-old maestro enthralled the audience with recitation of some of his self-conceived ragas such as Amruta Varsha (Abala-Gopala), Arabi ragam (Sakala Ganadhipa) and concluded with a rendering of Narayana Namo Namo and his pet thillana.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) later felicitated Balamuralikrishna for his contributions to the world of Carnatic music and society at large.
At a simple ceremony on the Nada Neerajanam open air platform, TTD Executive Officer M G Gopal presented the veteran of Indian classical music with a 10 gm gold dollar, portraits of Lord Venkateswara and also prasadams and theerthams of the Srivari Temple.
Earlier, Hindu Dharma Prachara Parishad OSD Raghunath highlighted the contributions of Balamuralikrishna and said he had conceived over 400 lyrics in Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and French. Among others, Tirupati Joint Executive Officer Pola Bhaskar and Temple Deputy Executive Officer Chinnamgari Ramana participated in the event at Nada Niranjanam.
TTD to Ensure Ample Laddu Production
Tirupati: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is fully geared up for providing the much sought after ‘laddu prasadam’ to lakhs of devotees who throng the hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara during the nine-day Brahmotsavam festival. Revealing this to Express here on Sunday, TTD executive officer M G Gopal said, “We have a stock of six lakh laddus. Our installed capacity is to produce 3 lakh laddus a day and we don’t foresee any shortfall in production.” Gopal said the laddu prasadam would be provided to the devotees inside the temple itself during the Vahanam processions in the mornings and evenings. The counters inside the temple will function on all days of the Brahmotsavam, he said.