During these sacred Brahmotsavams, which devotees consider as grand celebrations, Naidu created a record by presenting silk clothes to Lord Venkateswara the highest number of times as Chief Minister. He has presented silk clothes a total of 15 times. Devotees attribute this rare privilege to the grace of the Lord of the Kali Yuga. History may never see such a privilege given to another.

The countless rituals and festivals that begin daily with the Suprabhata Seva for Lord Venkateswara Swamy of Tirumala—worshipped as the visible deity of the Kali Yuga and the supreme leader of the universe—are celebrated with grandeur. Among them, the Brahmotsavams stand apart in magnificence. It is said that Lord Srinivasa himself instructed Lord Brahma, the creator, to conduct the festivals in the early days, and Brahma began the practice. To protect the world from hardships and ensure the overall well-being, these festivals have been conducted every year ever since. Since they were initiated by Lord Brahma, they came to be known as Brahmotsavams.

The Brahmotsavams of Lord Venkateswara are being celebrated in great glory for over 800 years in Tirumala. The Puranas also highlight their immense significance. With the belief that Lord Brahma himself conducted these nine-day festivals for Lord Venkateswara, they are called Brahmotsavams.

Over the course of these nine days, Lord Venkateswara blesses devotees by appearing in different incarnations on various vehicles (vahanams) along the streets of Tirumala. Millions of devotees from all over the country participate in these celebrations.

Since 1978, it has become a tradition for the state government to present silk clothes (pattu vastralu) to Lord Venkateswara during Brahmotsavams. In 1978, then Chief Minister Marri Chenna Reddy became the first to present silk clothes on behalf of the Andhra Pradesh government. Subsequently, officials from the Endowments Department continued the practice. In 1984, when Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR) was the Chief Minister, he revived the tradition of CM’s presenting silk clothes on behalf of the government. Since then, several Chief Ministers—NTR, Chenna Reddy, N Janardhana Reddy, K Vijayabhaskar Reddy and Y S Rajasekhara Reddy—have presented silk clothes.

In 2003, when Chandrababu Naidu was on his way to Tirumala to present the silk clothes for the Brahmotsavams, he was injured in a bomb blast that was triggered by Naxalites near Alipiri. On that occasion, then TTD chairman Pappula Chalapathi Rao presented the silk robes. From that time onwards, presentation of silk clothes was shifted by TTD from Garuda Seva day to Dwajarohanam (flag hoisting) day.

During these sacred Brahmotsavams, which devotees consider as grand celebrations, Naidu created a record by presenting silk clothes to Lord Venkateswara the highest number of times as Chief Minister. He began the practice in 1995 during his first tenure as Chief Minister and did so from 1995 to 2004, except in 2003 when the Alipiri attack prevented him from attending. Later, during his tenure from 2014 to 2019, and again from 2024, he has presented silk clothes a total of 15 times. Devotees attribute this rare privilege to the grace of the Lord of the Kali Yuga. History may never see such a privilege given to another.

Chandrababu Naidu is known for his deep devotion to Lord Venkateswara. He has often said that it was only by the blessings of the Lord that he was able to survive several challenges in life, including the Alipiri bomb attack. He has always taken steps to preserve the sanctity of Tirumala, which he visits frequently with his family.

The Nitya Annadanam (daily food offering) program, launched by NTR on April 6, 1985, at Tirumala, has since been expanded by Chandrababu Naidu. While it began with meals served to a limited number of devotees, today, under this program, over one lakh devotees are served food daily.

On the birthday of his grandson, Nara Devansh, the family bears the entire cost of annadanam for the day at Tarigonda Vengamamba Annprasadam Centre.

Chandrababu Naidu has also played a major role in development activities in the Tirupati–Tirumala region, including temple services, healthcare, education, and infrastructure. He has taken many measures for the growth and sanctity of Tirumala temple. He cancelled many commercial permits given by the previous government, which were leading to commercialisation of TTD. He also directed that employees of other faiths working in Tirumala be transferred to other departments. He instructed TTD to bring about one hundred reforms in its services, improve facilities for devotees, ensure transparency in administration, and enhance the quality of the sacred laddu prasadam. He warned against misuse of temple funds under the guise of development works. His focus has always been on making darshan and facilities easy and comfortable for devotees. He emphasized that purification of Tirumala must be total, with no exceptions.

Unfortunately, during the previous government, the sanctity of the Tirumala laddu prasadam and the glory of Lord Venkateswara were tarnished, which deeply disturbed the Hindu community. On regaining power 15 months back, Naidu has been making amends by bringing in several reforms.

For this, he has been praised by devotees, as well as national leaders like the Prime Minister, Union Ministers and MPs, for protecting the sanctity of Tirumala.

(The writer is a TDP leader who represents Vizianagaram in the Lok Sabha)