Vijayawada: Kanchi Mutt pontiff Jayendra Saraswathi has complimented the TTD for playing an active role in the spread of Sanatana Hindu Dharma.
The pontiff attended the opening ceremony of Srivari temple in Vijayawada on Sunday and on the occasion, he has appealed to the devotees to seek the blessings of Lord Venkateswara during Pushkaralu.
Earlier, the replica temple of Lord Venkateswara was opened on a grand religious note amidst the chanting of Vedic hymns by Agama pundits and temple priests. The Maha Samprokshana ceremony has been performed by a team of priests in a ceremonial manner by performing special homam and Nivedana. Later, the presiding deity was opened for public darshan as per Vaikhanasa Agama norms.
Speaking on the occasion, TTD EO Dr D. Sambasiva Rao said that all the arjitha sevas including Suprabhatam, Thomala, Archana, Nivedana, Sattumora will be performed in Ekantam. Apart from these sevas, the Ekanta Seva is performed as a closing ritual of the day every day wherein the replica of Bhoga Srinivasa Murthy is laid on a swing.
All these rituals are performed till the completion of Krishna Pushkaralu, he said. Everyday, there will be Unjal seva of Lord and his consorts on the well-decked swing on the temple premises. The Pushkara Harati is also rendered everyday at Padmavathi Ghat.
The TTD has also made elaborate arrangements to distribute free food to over one lakh devotees everyday during Pushkaralu.
Tirumala JEO K.S. Sreenivasa Raju said that the devotees can have a hassle-free darshan in four lines with separate entry and exit points. The annaprasadam and mini laddus will also be distributed to pilgrims after darshan. Devotional and cultural programmes are arranged during Pushka-ralu in Amaravati, PWD grounds, Srikakulam Andhra Maha Vishnu temple and at Alampur Jogulamba temple, he said. TTD has also arranged a book stall with its publications and CDs on the grounds for the sake of public, he said.
Later, the officers released a book penned jointly by Prof. Natraj and Ms Vijayalakshmi Chan-dran named, Approaches to Vishnu Sahasranama, an English book with brief details of each name of Lord Vishnu.
