Tirumala: Navaneeta Seva begins on colourful note

Tirumala: On the auspicious occasion of Sri Krishna Janmashtami, the TTD launched the unique Navaneeta Seva, offering of butter to Lord Venkateswara, the presiding deity of the famed Tirumala temple on Monday.

As part of the festivities, the butter vessels were carried in a colourful procession from Gosala by TTD Chairman Y V Subba Reddy and EO Dr K S Jawahar Reddy along with the Srivari Sevakulu to Tirumala temple where they ceremoniously handed them over to the temple Archakas.

The highlights of the Navaneeta Seva procession by Srivari Sevakulu included performing traditional kolatam and bhajans to the accompaniment of traditional music and children dressed as Chinni Krishna and Gopikas giving a colorful touch and vibrancy to the procession.

Speaking to mediapersons later, the TTD Chairman said the milk from Desi Gir cows is used to make curd and through conventional methods churned into butter for use in the Navaneeta Seva.

He said the butter will be brought daily to the Srivari temple from the Gosala in a procession to be used in the ritual and Srivari Sevakulu will render service as processional carriers.

Earlier, the Tirumala pontiffs Sri Pedda Jeeyar Swamy and Sri Chinna Jeeyarswamy along with the TTD Chairman and EO reviewed the butter churning exercise at the Gosala richly decorated for the event with rangoli, flowers and thoranams.

It may be noted that the TTD EO donated a 1.12 kg silver vessel to carry the Navaneeta (butter) in the procession on Monday.

Additional EO AV Dharma Reddy, CVSO Gopinath Jatti, Gosala Director Dr Harnath Reddy, Dy EOs Ramesh Babu, Harindranath and others were present.