Grandeur marked the ‘Pallavotsavam’ at the Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala on Wednesday.
The festival is celebrated every year on the birth star of the then Maharaja of Mysore in acknowledgment of his munificent donation of huge amounts of gold, diamond, pearl and other precious jewelry to the temple.
Soon after the ‘Sahasra Deepalankara Seva’, the processional deities of Lord Malayappa Swamy and his two consorts were taken out in a grand procession to the Karnataka State charities, where the authorities and the representatives of the royal family performed pujas.
The practice has been in vogue since the last 300 years and the authorities of the Karnataka State charities provide five kilograms of ghee daily for the ‘Navneeta Harathi’ and ‘Akhanda Brahma Deepam’ inside the hill shrine.
As a token of recognition of the king’s contribution, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has facilitated them with the privilege of offering a special harathi to the presiding deity on the festive occasions of Ugadi, Deepavali and Anivara Asthanam.
According to history, the Garuda, Gaja, Muthyapu Pandiri, Aswa, Sarvabhoopala, Surya and Chandra Prabha Vahanams, in addition to the ivory palanquin which are used during the annual Brahmotsavams, were donated by the king.
