The 13-day rituals connected with the 1,000th birth anniversary of Vaishnavite saint Ramanujacharya commenced at the 45-acre ashram of Tridandi Chinna Jeeyar Swamy at Muchintal on the city outskirts with a sobha yatra in which over 3,000 saints, priests, dancers, musicians and guests from different States and even abroad participated.
In the evening, the Lakshmi Narayana Maha Yajna, a Vedic rite of offering oblations to the sacred fire, was conducted. About 5,000 Vedic scholarstook part in the yajna at 1,035 pits located in 144 sheds. The Chinna Jeeyar Swamy presided over the yajna.
Veda chanting
The event also witnessed the chanting of nine branches of four Vedas. Among the things offered as oblations in the yajna were 1.5 lakh kg of pure ghee, made from milk of indigenous cow breeds reared at Pathmeda in Rajasthan. The process of making ghee started six months ago.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the world a 216-foot statue of Ramanujacharya on Saturday and President Ram Nath Kovind will unveil a golden idol of the saint weighing 120 kgs on February 13. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will participate in the rituals on February 7 and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on February 8.
About 7,000 police personnel have been drafted for security arrangements while another 5,000 volunteers will regulate the large crowd of visitors.
