The Koil Alwar Thirumanjanam was performed at the hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala on Tuesday.
The Thirumanjanam was performed as a prelude to the Ugadi festival, the Telugu New Year’s day on April 13. All the utsava idols were temporarily removed from the sanctum sanctorum and the main idol was provided with a water proof covering before the priests carried out the cleansing rituals. A herbal mixture of refined camphor, sandalwood powder, vermilion, turmeric and other ingredients that act as disinfectant was applied to all the walls and pillars inside the sanctum sanctorum as well as at other sub-temples inside the temple complex.
Employees led by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Executive Officer K.S. Jawahar Reddy took part in the rituals that lasted for about four hours. The darshan lines which were briefly interrupted in the morning resumed at around noon after the conclusion of the rituals.
Prominent among others who took part in the rituals were Member of Parliament Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy, member trustee Vemireddy Prashanti, Additional Executive Officer A.V. Dharma Reddy and CVSO Gopinath Jatti.
