Anivara Asthanam held at Tirumala

Tirumala: The traditional annual budget festival `Anivara Asthanam' was conducted amidst gaiety and religious fervor at Sri Venkateswara temple, Tirumala on Thursday.

In view of the Covid-19 restrictions, the fete was limited to priests, officials and the senior and junior pontiffs Sri Pedda Jeeyangar Swamy and Sri Chinna Jeeyangar Swamy.

The two-hour-long religious ceremony Asthanam began with the priests ceremoniously bringing the processional deities Sri Malayappaswamy and His two consorts from the sanctum sanctorum to Bangaru Vakili where the idols were seated while Senadhipathi Sri Vishwaksena was placed on the left side.

Special pujas and prasadam Nivedanas for utsava idols and Mula Virat were held as part of Anivara Asthanam. Thereafter the Tirumala pontiffs led the procession of an offering of

silk vasthrams placed on six gold plates - four were offered to Mula Virat and two plates to the utsava idols of Sri Malayappaswamy and Sri Viswaksena.

The silk Vasthrams were offered by Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple, Srirangam in Tamil Nadu. They were offered by the priests to the deities.

Marking the occasion, Tirumala temple chief priest Venugopala Deekshitulu performed the rituals of blessings and handed over temple's key bunch to the Tirumala pontiffs (Pedda Cheeyangar and Chinna Jeeyangar) and TTD EO Singhal (as a token of hand over of authority). Again special pujas were held before the key bunch was taken and placed at the feet of Mula Virat, at the end of the two-hour-long ceremony.

TTD Chairman YV Subba Reddy Additional EO AV Dharma Reddy, board member Dr Nischita were among the officials took part in the festival.

Speaking later to media outside the temple, TTD Chairman maintained that Nitya Kainkaryas (daily rituals), utsavas and other temple rituals are performed without any lapse by Archakas under the supervision of the TTD staff in spite of Corona restrictions.

Srivari darshan is also continued in a limited way with social distancing and total sanitisation in the temple and surroundings.

It may be noted here that Anivara Asthanam ritual is performed as a day of account submission to Lord, a practice started by the Mahants, the past managers of Srivari temple.