The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : ‘Sakshatkara vaibhavam’ begins

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Thursday, Jul 19, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

‘Sakshatkara vaibhavam’ begins

Staff Reporter

Tirupati: The annual ‘Sakshatkara vaibhavam’ began in the form of a three-day festival at Kalyana Venkateswara temple, Srinivasa Mangapuram, near here, on Wednesday.

The event marks the appearance of the lord on the banks of Swarnamukhi river. Mythology has it that after his wedding at Narayanavanam near here, the Lord stayed for six months at the hermitage of sage Agastya in Srinivasa Mangapuram along with Goddess Padmavathi, before sending his spouse to Tiruchanur and himself settling at Tirumala.

Replica of Tirumala

It is for this reason that the deity ‘Kalyana Venkateswara’ is believed to remove marriage-related obstacles and hence eligible bachelors and maids tie the ‘Kankanam’ (yellow wrist thread) offered at this temple. The presiding deity here is a replica of the one at Tirumala hills and hence those finding it difficult to trek the hills get their vows fulfilled by offering prayers in this temple downhill.

This village was once known as Siddhakootam and later Srinivasapuram and became an Agraharam in the year 1540, according to scriptures. Saint-poet Annamayya’s grandson Chinna Tirumalayya had renovated the temple and restored its grand beauty. Rituals and annual festivals became a regular affair only after the temple was taken over by the TTD in 1967. It is to commemorate his appearance at this spot that the TTD conducts a three-day festival every year. As part of the festival, the Lord’s deity was taken out in a procession on a ‘Golden Tiruchi’, while ‘Hanumantha Vahanam’ and ‘Garuda Seva’ will be performed on Thursday and Friday .

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Andhra Pradesh