Religious fervour marks the fete

Tirupati: Gaiety and religious fervour marked Ramnavami, the birth day of LordRama, which was celebrated in Chittoor district on Sunday. In the pilgrim city, devotees thronged Sri Ram temples at various places, including inMaruthi Nagar, which were decked with flowers and mango leaves giving a festive look. Long queues of devotees were seen at the templeswhere special rituals, discourses and devotional music on Lord Sri Ram were organised to mark the festival.

TTD’s Sri Kondarama Swamy temple witnessed a huge turnout of devotees at the shrine who offered poojas at the ancient temple on theauspicious occasion of Sri Ramnavami. Elaborate arrangements were madefor orderly movement of devotes to have darshan.

In the Hare Krishna temple of International Society for Krishna Conscious (ISCON) where special poojas for Sri Ram, Sitha, Lakshman andAnajaneya were performed amidst religious fervour. Foreign devoteesjoined with the locals in celebrating the festival in the shrine.

Various organisations and individuals including BJP local leaderGopinath distributed butter milk and panakam, following the age oldpractice being observed on Ramnavami day, at the temple and at road junctions in the city. In the famous Tirumala temple. SnapanaTirumanjanam (celestial bath)to Sita, Lakshmana, Anjaneya Sametha Sri Rama Chandra Murthy wasperformed amidst chanting of Vedic hymns by Pandits on the occasion of Rama Navami. 

After Punyahavachanam, the utsavamurthies of the deities were offered the holy bath in Ranganayakula Mandapam with milk, honey, curd, tender coconut water and turmeric. The entire premises vibrated with devotional vibes and echoed with Sri, Bhu, Nila, Purushasuktams rendered by vedic scholars when snapanam is on. Tirumala PeddaJiyar Swamy, TTD Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal and other temple officials took part in the celestial event.