Tirumala Brahmotsavam Festival

18 October 2023

Religious

Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh

32°C / Clouds

One of the most famous temples in India, the Swamy Venkateswara temple carries a radiant spiritual charm about it. This temple is visited by literally thousands of pilgrims on an annual basis. The deity of this temple, Lord Venkateswara is worshipped by the devotees with utmost belief and enthusiasm.

Many festivals are also celebrated in the premises of this temple and out of it. Out of all of them, the most popular one is known to be the Tirupati Festival which is held in the month of Ashvina. During this 9-day festival, the processions are carried out on a daily basis and the sight seems to in its full spiritual glory.

Apart from that, the deity of Lord Venkateswara is carried out along with his consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi. The vibe of the celebrations is such, that it witnesses a great number of pilgrims and tourists from across the globe.

This festival is also regarded as the holy cleansing ceremony which is mainly done in the honor of Lord Brahma.

History of Tirupati Temple

Sometime around 966 CE, the Pallava Queen, Samavai donated a huge part of her jewellery and two parcels of her land to the temple. She also ordered that the revenues generated from the donated lands must be used in the celebrations of the temple festivals.

Then sometime around 1517, the Vijayanagara Emperor Krishnadevaraya also donated gold and a lot of jewellery to the temple. This donation was used to gild the roofing of the temple.

And then, in the 1700s, the Maratha general Raghoji I also visited this temple and set up a proper administration for the conduct of worshipping in the temple.

According to the legends, it is believed that Lord Brahma himself descends upon the Earth for the very purpose of conducting this festival. Hence it is also known as Brahmotsavam, Utsavam meaning festival, and Brahma meaning Lord Brahma himself.

In fact, you would be surprised to know that Sri Venkateswara Sahasranamastotra even has some references tracing back to Lord Brahma performing this festival. And even today, to showcase the same level of belief and enthusiasm, a little wooden chariot of Lord Brahma is placed in the temple ahead of the processions.

Major Attractions of Tirupati Festival Celebrations

1. Celebrations

During this 9-day long festival, the deity from the Tirupati temple is taken out on colourful processions around the city with hundreds of people following it. People perform Sevas, meaning they offer flowers, fruits, and food to the diety in order to make their lord happy and seek blessings.

During this festival, the temple witnesses literally lakhs of devotees who are particularly on the Garuda Vahanam. This number can even reach up to 1.5 lakhs on a single given day.

The Sudarshana Chakra is also faithfully bathed in the Swami Pushakarini, which is a holy water tank nearby. During the process, the priest of the temple carries the Sudarshana Chakra on his head and then takes a holy bath.

After this is done, the Chakra is placed on a very high platform. The purpose of doing this is so that the devotees can walk through under it and be blessed with the dripping water from the Chakra. And then this ritual is concluded with Dhvajarohanam which is the lowering of the Garuda flag. The priests offer their respects to the Gods by chanting powerful Vedic mantras.

2. Sri Padmavati Ammavari Temple

Dedicated to Goddess Padmavati, the consort of Lord Venkateswara, this temple is located at a distance of around 5km in Tiruchanur. The management and administration of this temple are looked over by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.

It is believed that Goddess Lakshmi was born by the name of Alamelu to the Akasha Raja and was later on married to Lord Venkateswara. The Tirumala festival celebrates Lord Venkateswara in all his glory here as well.

3. Sri Kapileshwara Swami Temple

Located in Tirupati, Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, this place carries an amazing spiritual charm that reverberates all around it. The idol inside the temple is believed to be installed by the Kapila Muni himself. Due to this, Lord Shiva is also known as the Kapileswara. It is interesting to know that this temple also celebrates the Tirupati festival with great pomp and show.

How to Reach

Tirupati is an amazing travel destination, majorly known for its religious flavours. Thus, those who have a spiritual bend in their thought process are bound to like this place a lot. From Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Kolkata, Tirupati is located at an approximate distance of 2,162, 253, 1,230, and 1,639 km respectively. Let's discuss, how you can reach Tirupati via the following routes.

By Air

Chennai International Airport (MAA) is the primary airport situated at an approximate distance of 90-100 km from here. According to the data, in the fiscal year of 2018-2019, this airport handled a giant numeric figure of 22 million passengers. It is also considered the third busiest airport when it comes to handling international traffic as well as cargo capacity.

Many airlines like Air India, Vistara, Indigo, and others operate to and fro this airport on a frequent basis connecting places like Delhi, Vellore, Puducherry, Visakhapatnam, Coimbatore, etc. After deboarding at the airport, you can easily take a cab or some other means of transportation to reach your respective destination.

By Train

Tirupati has its own train station by the same name. In terms of being environment-friendly, this station has also been given a gold rating by the Indian Green Building Council.

From Madurai, you will need to board the Kacheguda Exp via Madurai Junction
From Delhi, you will need to board Kerala Express or Himsagar Express via New Delhi Railway Station
From Bengaluru, you will need to board Bhubaneswar Express or Seshadri Express from Bengaluru Cant.

By Road

Depending upon your location visiting Tirupati via road is also a good option to consider.

From Madurai, you will need to cover a total distance of 525 km via NH38 or NH44
From Coimbatore, you will need to cover a total distance of 483 km via NH48 or NH544
From Mysuru, you will need to cover a total distance of around 396 km via NH48 or Mysore Road

You can also rely on interstate buses to reach your destination here as buses are quite a safe as well as affordable option to reach here. From Madurai, Coimbatore, and Mysuru you can travel here at affordable prices.

You can plan your trip and create your own route to the city with Adotrip’s technically driven circuit planner. Click here.

PLEASE NOTE : Dates can vary due to cancellation or last-minute changes.