The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Haridasa Rathayatra launched at Tirupati

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Monday, Jan 07, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Haridasa Rathayatra launched at Tirupati

Special Correspondent.

TIRUPATI: The ‘Haridasa Rathayathra’ was formally launched after a brief religious ceremony at the Sri Govindarajaswamy temple here. This signifies the beginning of the three-day quarterly ‘metlothsavam’ which the TTD celebrates every year under the aegis of its ‘Dasa Sahithya’ project.

After performance of the rituals in the presence of Sri Suvidyendra Theertha swamiji of Bangalore, the ‘ratham’ (chariot) carrying the idols of the deities rolled through the main streets of Tirupati. The Dasa devotees mostly from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu pulled the chariot with fervour. Among the devotees, women clad in their traditional attires were seen singing and dancing down the road to the beat of a range of percussion instruments.

TTD Trust Board Chairman B. Karunakar Reddy, Executive Officer K.V.Ramanachary and Ananda Theerthacharya, director of the ‘Dasa Sahithya’ project were among those who took part in the procession.

The troupes will embark on their holy trek up the flight of steps to Tirumala at the crack of dawn on Monday after the pre-dawn rituals at the ‘Padala Mandapam’. Vermillion (kumkum) and turmeric (pasupu) will be smeared on the steps before the trek begins amid bhajans.

The trek would culminate on the hills with a darshan of the presiding deity. It would conclude on Tuesday after day-long bhajans and religious discourses at the TTD’s III chowltary.

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