Homams commence at Yagasala

Tirumala: The homams commenced in Yagasala on Sunday morning as a part of the Astabandhana Balalaya Maha Samprokshanam religious fete which took off with Ankurarpanam on Saturday evening in the famed Tirumala temple.

Earlier during the day, the Ritwiks began the celestial Yaga by lighting up a Homa Gundam and performed Punyahavachanam followed by Panchagavyaradhana, Vastu Homam and Raksha Bandhanam.

Golden “Kurcha”: 
The temple management has prepared a golden "Kurcha", in traditional Vedic jargon known as Darbha (holy dried grass which is usually used during holy rituals as a purificactory material). This Golden Kurcha weighed around 300 grams. 

This was placed along with the Golden Kalasam in Yagasala after invoking the presiding deity of Sri Venkateswara Swamy during Kalakarshana ceremony observed on Sunday evening. 

The two-hour long Kalakarshana ritual was performed in the shrine before the Moolavirat to transform the divine powers into the holy Kumbam after which the Kumbam was placed in the Yagasala.

TTD religious heads Pedda Jeeyar and Chinna Jeeyar were overseeing the performance of the ceremony. The sonorous chanting of scriptures from Vedas added more to the spiritual ambiance which was palpable in the temple complex.

TTD senior officials including Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal, Tirumala JEO KS Sreenivasa Raju, Temple Dy EO Harindranath and Temple Peishkar Ramesh Babu were also present.

Meanwhile, temple officials said the total darshan hours on Monday, on the third day of Samprokshanam will be 16-and-half hours, three-and-half  hours more than Sunday and is expected to provide darshan to about 35,000 pilgrims (on Monday). The details of the darshan timings are 5.30 am to noon, 1.00 pm. to 6 pm. and 7 pm to 12.00 midnight.