It was curtains down on the annual Brahmotsavam at Sri Kodandarama temple in Vontimitta on Friday, with the priests formally completing the ‘Chakra Snanam’ ritual in a simple manner, due to the lockdown situation.
The festival began on a low key nine days back and all the rituals and processions were conducted in private, with no devotees allowed into the temple or in its vicinity. Only the priests, officers and temple staff were present during the rituals. But for the COVID-19 threat and the lockdown that inevitably followed, the annual event would have been a grand spectacle and a feast for the eyes.
The deity of ‘Sudarsana Chakra’ is normally given a holy dip in a temple tank, but due to the lockdown situation, the same was immersed in the ‘Gangalam’ (huge container) filled with sacred water, amid chanting of Vedic hymns. Earlier, the Archakas performed ‘Snapana Tirumanjanam’ (celestial bath) to the processional deities of Sita, Rama, Lakshmana and Sudarshana Chakra. TTD Deputy Executive Officer (Vontimitta temple) Lokanatham was present.
