Car festival celebrated with pomp and gaiety

Tirumala: Lord Malayappa Swamy flanked by his two consorts Sridevi and Bhoodevi, was given a celestial ride on a mammoth wooden chariot in the four ‘mada’ streets of Tirumala on Monday, the eighth day and the penultimate day of Srivari annual Brahmotsavams.

The deities adorned with dazzling and precious ornaments, mounted on the richly decorated Ratham (chariot), were taken out in a procession to the accompaniment of traditional music, bhajans, Kolatam and other folk art forms, enthralling the devotees who had turned up in large numbers.

The entire area around the temple echoed with the chant of `Venkataramana Govinda Govinda’. Meanwhile, the restrictions of the police caused a lot of inconvenience to the devotees, especially senior citizens and women.

At several places, the gates leading to the galleries were closed without any public announcement or prior information to the pilgrims forcing them to take a long detour via the hilly terrain to reach the galleries.