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The Hindu
a day ago
- General
- The Hindu
Govindaraja Swamy Brahmotsavams begin with ‘hoisting of sacred flag'
The annual Brahmotsavams at the TTD-run Sri Govindaraja Swamy temple got off to a traditional start with the 'Dhwajarohanam' ceremony on Monday. The ritual Dhwajarohanam, hoisting of the sacred flag atop the temple flag post, signals the commencement of the nine-day festival that involves procession of the deities on the streets encircling the temple precincts. After performing special puja to the flag bearing the imprint of 'Garuda', the favourite celestial carrier of Lord Mahavishnu, priests carried the same in a procession around the temple. During the auspicious 'Mithuna Lagnam' between 7.02 am and 7.20am, the priests hoisted the flag atop the flag post as per the tenets of Vaikhanasa Agama, amid chanting of Vedic hymns and to the beats of traditional drums. The deities were given a celestial bath with aromatic substances during the 'Snapana Tirumanjanam' ritual performed in the afternoon. In the evening, the processional deity of Lord Govindaraja was taken on 'Pedda Sesha Vahanam', a huge carrier representing a seven-hooded serpent, on the four streets around the temple. The serpent represents 'Adi Sesha', which serves as the bed and canopy for Lord Vishnu and is hence considered the first among his divine followers. The Tirumala-Tirupati Pedda Jeeyangar and Chinna Jeeyangar, Deputy Executive Officer V.R. Shanti and Assistant Executive Officer Munikrishna Reddy took part in the events.


The Hindu
24-05-2025
- The Hindu
TTD adopting technology in providing enhanced services to devotees, says EO Syamala Rao
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is adopting technology in providing enhanced services to devotees in a transparent and efficient way, says Executive Officer J. Syamala Rao. Addressing the media after the 'Dial your EO' programme on Saturday, Mr. Syamala Rao listed the various tech-upgrades introduced by TTD under the instructions of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, which included Artificial Intelligence, upgradation of Facility Monitoring Systems, WhatsApp Governance, Aadhaar integration, kiosk-based services, and partnership with Google to enhance transparency and efficiency. A WhatsApp-based feedback system had also been introduced to gather real-time suggestions from the devotees, he said. 'The TTD is working on refining the Srivari Seva system by introducing a Group Leader (system) to improve the voluntary service. Plans are also underway to involve professionals from various sectors to enhance the quality of Srivari Seva and encourage more NRI devotees to take part in it,' he said. Other initiatives included reintroduction of the sacred 'Tirunamam' service at 18 locations in Tirumala, establishment of a town planning department to coordinate and executive various developmental work at temples in Tiruchanoor, Amaravati, and Vontimitta, besides taking up construction of temples in various States and Union Territories across the country. The TTD had also renamed 42 out of 45 rest houses in Tirumala with spiritually significant names, constituted a five-member Vaikhanasa Agama advisory committee to oversee the discharge of rituals inside the hill temple, and invited renowned agencies to undertake the responsibility of managing major canteens and Janata canteens in Tirumala to provide quality food to the devotees. The devotees, who took part in the monthly interactive programme, heaped encomiums on the TTD services and improvement in the quality of prasadams.