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Tirupati: The Pushpayaga Mahotsavam of Lord Venkateswara Swamy was observed with great religious fervour at Tirumala on Thursday.As part of the ritual, the processional deities of Lord Malayappa Swamy, along with His consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi, were brought to the Kalyana Mandapam inside the temple, where priests performed homas amid the chanting of Vedic hymns.Later, the deities were given a floral bath using over nine tonnes of sixteen varieties of flowers, including chamanti, mogali, kanakambaram, roses, lotuses, lilies, manusampangi, manoranjitam, and six varieties of sacred leaves such as maruvam, pachaku, and bilvam. The flowers were replaced repeatedly during the ritual, followed by a special harati offered by the priests.Speaking to the media, TTD executive officer Anil Kumar Singhal said the Pushpayagam is performed annually after Brahmotsavam on the day of Sravanam Nakshatram in the auspicious month of Karthika, which marks the birth star of Lord Venkateswara. He said the ritual is observed to atone for any errors committed during daily worship and to seek divine protection for the earth from natural calamities.He added that the festival, which dates back to the 15th century, was revived by TTD in 1980. This year, nine tonnes of flowers were used for the ritual, including five tonnes donated by devotees from Tamil Nadu and two tonnes each from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.Earlier in the day, temple priests performed Snapana Tirumanjanam for the processional deities, followed by a floral procession from the Garden Office to the temple. On this occasion, TTD Garden deputy director S. Srinivasulu was felicitated. Temple deputy EO M. Lokanatham, Peishkar Rama Krishna, and other officials took part in the ceremony.
