Massive crowds witness ‘Garuda Seva’ at Tirumala

Tirupati: Thousands of devotees witnessed the colourful ‘Garuda Seva’ spectacle in Tirumala on Tuesday. The deity, Malayappa, adorned with dazzling precious ornaments, was taken out in a procession atop his celestial carrier ‘Garuda’, delighting the milling crowd which witnessed the major event of ‘Brahmotsavams’.

Every inch of available space in the galleries and outside was packed with devotees, who waited patiently for several hours to have a glimpse of the Lord, mounted on ‘Garuda Vahanam’, going in a procession in the Mada streets.

After special pooja in the ‘Vahana mandapam’, the deity was taken out in a procession at 8 pm, beginning at East Mada Street opposite the temple. The Lord, riding on a tastefully-decorated ‘Garuda’, feasted the eyes of the devotees amid the sonorous chanting of ‘Divya Prabhandam’, sriptures (Vedas) by pundits. Folk and devotional dances by devotees added to the spiritual ambience. The Tirumala skies reverberated with the devotees chanting ‘Govinda, Govinda‘ at the sight of the deity. A huge ‘Lakshmi Kasula Haram’, ‘Makarakanti’ and ‘Chandraharam’ , the three ornaments which adorn the Moola Virat in the sanctum sanctorum, were brought out during ‘Garuda Seva’.

About one lakh pilgrims reached Tirumala since Monday, while two lakh more travelled in buses and other vehicles to witness the colourful religious pageant. The entire temple town was under tight security, as the police were not prepared to take any chances. The security personnel had a tough time controlling the crowd at several spots. They were compelled to use force at ‘Akilandam’ to control the surging devotees.