TTD NEWS

POMP AND PAGEANTRY MARK SRIVARI BRAHMOTSAVAM 

Several lakhs of devotees worshipped Srivaru during the nine-day Brahmotsavam from October 7 to 15 at Tirumala. There was an un-precedented crowd during the Garuda seva this year. Braving the pouring rains, the devotees watched Sri Malayappaswami bedecked with precious jewels, being taken round the four mada streets. 

The festival had a grand start on October 7 with Dhwajarohanam amidst chanting of Vedic hymns. The celestial cloth with the imprint of Lord Garuda was hoisted atop the 60 ft. high flag staff in the auspicious Meena lagnam. The priests recited Vedic hymns to the accompaniment of the chandi melam specially commissioned for the festival. The archakas also chanted passages from the Garudapuranam eulogising the valour and might of Lord Garuda. The entire temple complex was agog with religious fervour and the air charged with the traditional beats of the drums.

Earlier Lord Malayappaswamy accompanied by Sri Devi and Bhu Devi, mounted on a golden Tiruchi, was taken around the mada streets in a grand procession escorted with the parivara devotas viz., Ananta, Garuda, Chakrattalvar and Senadhipati. Later in the night, the processional deities were again taken around in a procession this time mounted on the seshavahanam. In connection with the Dhwajarohanam, visesha samarpana was conducted to Malayappaswamy and special functions were performed at yagasala. 

On the fifth day morning Sri Malayappa Swami decked as Mohini was seated in a palanquin and taken through the streets surrounding the temple. In the evening the utsava deity is taken out in procession seated in Garuda vahana. On that day, the Lord was decorated with Makara kanthi and Lakshmi hara worn by the Presiding Deity. Keeping the tradition, the Chief MInister Sri N. Chandrababu Naidu, offered a pair of silk vastrams to Srivaru on behalf of the state government on the occasion of the Garuda seva. 

The Chief Minister, accompained by his wife Smt. Bhuvaneswari carried the vastram in a silver plate on his head with utmost devotion from Sri Bedi Anjaneyaswamy Temple situated in front of the temple complex and walked down towards the temple in the company of temple paraphernalia. Sri Pramod Mahajan, Union Minister for communication, and his wife were also present on the occasion. At the entrance of the Srivari Temple, the priests received the Chief Minister with traditional temple honours - istikapal and escorted him to the sanctum sanctorum where Sri Chandrababu Naidu presented the vastrams to the Deity. Later the Chief Minister inaugurated the additional kalyana katta built at a cost of Rs. 2.7 crores and newly installed Asia's largest solar power cooking system atop the Nitya Annadanam complex. 

A large number of devotees gathered on October 12 to witness the Golden chariot, being dragged round the temple streets, amidst great religious fervour. The processional deities of Lord Malayappaswamy along with His consorts mounted atop the tastefully decorated swarna ratham was pulled around the sacred shrine. The air was filled with the chants of Govinda, Govinda by devotees who had congregated all along the way the procession passed by. 

Earlier in the morning, the utsavamurti was brought out in a procession on the Hanumantha Vahanam followed by Gaja Vahanam in the night. 

On eighth day morning of Srivari Brahmotsavam, Rathotsavam took place. The traditional belief is that one who witnesses Rathotsavam is released from rebirth. Thousands of devotees took part in the dragging of the ratha which went round the four mada streets. In the night the Lord was taken round, mounted on Aswa Vahana. 

On October 15, the ninth day of the Brahmotsavam, tens of thousands of devotees had a holy dip in the sacred temple tank of Lord Venkateswara. The idol of Chakrattalvar was taken round in a procession to the Srivari Pushkarini and Thirumanjanam was performed to the idol at the north west corner of the Swami Pushkarini. The temple priests recited Vedic hymns. As soon as the idol of Chatrattalvar was immersed in the cool waters of the pushkarini, thousands of devotees who congregated on the steps of the tank since the early hours had a dip in it. Later Dhwaja avarohanam was performed inside the temple marking the conclusion of this year's Brahmotsavam.

                                ASIA'S LARGEST SOLAR COOKER AT TIRUMALA 

Chief Minister Sri N. Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated Asia's largest Solar Steam Cooking System at Nitya Annadanam complex at Tirumala on October 11. The sophisticated solar plant designed by using German technology costs Rs. 1.11 crores. Considering various advantages of having the system, Union Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy extended a subsidy of Rs. 27.75 lakhs to the TTD. 

According to experts, the plant on any sunny day can generate steam required to cook upto 30,000 meals a day. The S.V. Nitya Annadana trust at present provides free meals to over 20,000 pilgrims every day. The plant would also help reduce pollution considerably. The management was likely to save around Rs. 17.05 lakhs besides reducing power wage. Plans were afoot to utilise the surplus steams generated by the plant to meet the requirements of Kalyanakatta - where on an average 10,000 'pilgrims get their heads tonsured daily. The Chief Minister also declared open the extension block of the Kalyanakatta at a cost of Rs. 2.7 crores. The additional complex was constructed to decongest the present building and provide better and cleaner surroundings. TTD LIBRARY GOES DIGITAL The digital revolution is not just confined to corporates and computer-savvy netizens, but is making strides in temple management and preservation of scriptures as well. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, hitherto a trust administering the world's richest temple, is zooming in fast on the e-way to catch up with the everchanging technology for its own purposes. 

Welcome to the "Sri Venkateswara Digital Library", conceptualised and created by the TTD management, in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University in the US. 

The library is, aimed at preserving the most valuable ancient texts, manuscripts, inscriptions, sculptures, etc., in the form of digital data by using information technology and making it available to the world through the electronic media. It works in association with different government, quasi-government and religious, philanthropic organisations all over the world. Its distinct feature is that all ancient knowledge available in original sources with their translations in English and Indian vernaculars would be available on the Internet. 

The job of the library is to collect the ancient books, revered and preserved as vintage relics by senior veda pundits and research scholars, scan and convert them into HTML text and upload them on to the web. So far, 488 books have been scanned and full text of 31 books in different languages like Telugu, Tamil and Sanskrit are in the process of being entered into the computer. 

The library was inaugurated by the Chief Minister, Sri N. Chandrababu Naidu. 

                                    BOOKS DONATED TO TTD DIGITAL LIBRARY 

The Sri Venkateswara Digital Library project, taken up at a massive outlay of Rs. 5 crores by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, has received a shot in the arm with a bumper haul of books coming into its fold. 

Sri Pappu Venugopala Rao, Associate director- general, American Institute of Indian Studies, Chennai has donated a set of the 14 volume Encyclopaedia of Indian temple architecture to the TTD's Executvie Officer Dr. P. Krishnaiah. 

The publication was the result of an extensive research undertaken by American and Indian scholars and the Archaeological Survey of India. Sri Rao said that the books contained research notes on the temples in the country, supported by over two lakh photographs. D. Krishnaiah, while thanking Sri Rao for the donation, said the books would be scanned and loaded on to the web, so that it could be available to surfers all over the world. 

                                    PACKAGE TOURS FOR TIRUMALA DEVOTEES 

For the convenience of devotees, waiting for a darshan of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala after getting "sudarshan tokens", the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) has come up with a "Divyakshetra Darshini - package tour". 

By buying a Rs. 210 ticket, a devotee can visit six temples - Kapilatheertham, Srinivasamangapuram, Kanipakkam, Tiruchanur, Sri Kalahasti and Tirumala. The first bus would depart from the link bus station (LBS) at 9 a.m. and reach Tirumala at 8 p.m. another bus would leave the LBS at 10 a.m. and reach Tirumala at 9 p.m. Advance reservation facility is available at LBS, TTD first choultry (APSRTC counter), Alipiri Balaji Bus Station and Padmavathi Bus Station (TTD third Choultry). Tirumala Tirupati return journey tickets (Rs. 20) are also available with the conductor, the corporation said in a press release. 

                                                        Awards and Honours 

Sri V. Gopalakrishna Murthy, Research Assistant, TTD was awarded Ph.D, by S.V. University for his thesis 'A study of Sri Venkatachala Mahatmyam with special reference to Skanda Purana'. 

Dr. R.N. Aralikatti, well known Sanskrit Scholar and former Registrar of Kendriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha received the award institituted by the Maharashtra government for eminent sanskrit scholars from Maharashtra Chief Minister Sri Vilas Rao Desmukh. Dr. Aralikatti, a former memberof TTD Experts committee is a specialist in the teaching of spoken Sanskrit and he has presented his papers in several national and international conferences.