Andhra Pradesh - Tirumala   

The Lord goes hunting

Staff Reporter

Thousands witnessed hunting safari as the deity, mounted atop the golden `tiruchi', symbolically hunted a couple of deer

KING HUNTER: TTD priests taking the deity of Lord Venkateswara on a mock hunting as part of `Parveta Utsavam' at Tirumala on Tuesday.

TIRUMALA: The processional deity of Lord Venkateswara, dressed up as traditional `King hunter' was taken out on `hunting expedition' to `Parveti mandapam' situated amidst the Tirumala forests some 2 km from the temple town.

In connection with `Makara Sankranti Partveti utsavam', the deity, equipped with `Panchayudhas - Sankham, Chakram, Gada, Banam and Khadgam,' was carried to the mandapam in the afternoon along with the temple paraphernalia. After completion of the customary rituals at the `mandapam', the mock hunting was observed amidst religious fervour.

Thousands of devotees witnessed the hunting safari with great amusement as the deity, mounted atop the golden `tiruchi', symbolically `hunted' a couple of deer tied up in the nearby bush. The temple priest headed the ceremony carrying a golden spear. The hunting game was repeated thrice even as TTD's forest personnel fired guns in the air adding more colour to the festival.

The ceremony, which lasted more than three hours, concluded with `Pranaya kalaham' at the north-east corner of the

temple. As the Lord reach the `corner', the temple personnel carrying the deities of both the goddesses arrived from the opposite direction and enacted the `kalaham' game amidst religious ecstasy.

`Goda parinayam'

Earlier, `Goda parinayam' was conducted inside the temple complex. As a precautionary measure, the TTD management had cancelled all daytime `arjitha sevas' inside the temple.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

The Lord goes hunting

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu