Religious fervour is the symbol of Anivar Asthanam

Tirumala: The annual traditional temple budget festival Anivara Asthanam was held with utmost religious fervour at the hill temple of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala on Tuesday. The ritual marks the beginning of the annual accounts of the Srivari temple on the last day of the Tamil month Ani. The ritual was held at Bangaru Vakili where the processional deities of Sri Malayappa Swamy along with Sri Viswakesanula Varu along with Sridevi and Bhudevi were seated in Garudalwar Sannidhi. The festival formalities were completed in the presence of Tirumala priests Sri Pedda Jeeyar Swamy and Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamy and TTD EO J Shyamala Rao. The festival idols were installed on the Sarva Bhupala Vahanam and later special poojas were performed to the Moola Virata and Utsava idols and prasad nibandhas were offered. The senior Tirumala priest then wore six pattu robes in silver plate on his head and entered the Srivari temple amidst Mangala Vaidyam, followed by his deputy and EO, who entered with four pattu robes adorning Moola Virata, while one adorned Sri Malayappa and another Sri Vishwaksena Utsava idols. As part of the festival tradition, the head priest of the temple wore the ‘parivattam’ (head robe) and gave the blessings of ‘Nithya Aishwaryabhava’. The subsequent archakas handed over a main bundle of the temple ‘Lachchanna’ to both the senior and junior Tirumala priests and the TTD EO. The Anivarava Asthanam festival concluded when the main bundle of the temple was placed at the feet of Srivari after offering Rupaya Harati, Chandanam, Tamboolam, Theertham and Prasadam. Speaking on the occasion, the TTD EO said that in the past the custodian mahant of Srivari temple used to maintain the accounts of income, expenditure and stores on an annual basis and budget on the day of Anivara Asthanam. The annual accounts shifted to the March-April format only after the establishment of the TTD board. Principal Archaka Venugopal Dikshitulu, Govindaraja Dikshitulu, Chief Archaka Kiran Swamy, JEO Veera Brahmam, Deputy EO Lokanatham of the temple and other officials were present. Srirangam Vastrams offered: Following the tradition on this auspicious occasion, special Vastrams from Srirangam temple in Tamil Nadu were offered to Venkateswara Swamy. In a procession that started from Pedda Jeeyar Mutt in Tirumala, Tamil Nadu Endowments Minister Shekar Babu, Endowments Special Commissioner Kumar Guru Balan and Joint Commissioner Rangam Mariyappan presented silk robes to the presiding deity. Both the senior and junior religious leaders of Tirumala and JEO Veerabrahmam were present at the ceremony.