TIRUMALA: On day five of the Navaratri Brahmotsavams, a sea of devotees thronged the Srivari temple in Tirumala as Sri Malayappa Swamy was decked on His favourite Garuda vahanam on Thursday evening. Around two lakh devout witnessed the Garuda Seva as the four mada streets reverberated with the ‘Govinda Namam’.Elaborate arrangements by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), police and district administration ensured that the grand event was held in a peaceful manner.
For the first time, the temple Trust preponed the vahana seva to 6.30 pm from 7 pm in order to provide a hassle-free darshan to devotees, who wait in the galleries since morning to catch a glimpse of the processional deity in the posture of Abhaya Hastham.“The early commencement of the procession gave us ample time to allow devotees to go under the palanquin. We have done this for the first time,” said TTD chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy and explained that new paths were created to enable the unique experience for devotees.
The procession did not cross the temple for the first 30 minutes, ensuring devotees have a proper darshan. VVIPs and other dignitaries offered prayers at the Vahana Mandapam.While TTD executive officer (EO) AV Dharma Reddy monitored the procession from the front, CVSO Narasimha Kishore and other officials inspected the arrangements in all four mada streets and the GNC toll gate. DGP KV Rajendranath Reddy thanked the disciplined crowd and said, “Our officers, too, managed the crowd effectively. We ensured that people had a satisfactory darshan of the Lord.”In another first, the TTD distributed Chakkera Pongali as prasadam to the devotees at the galleries instead of inside the temple. More than 1.40 lakh cups of prasadam was distributed.