Tirumala, July 17, 2013: The annual Ani vara Asthanam was performed at the temple of Lord Venkateswara on Tuesday amidst religious ecstasy.

Immense importance is attached to the religious fete which is organised commemorating the submission and verification of the annual temple accounts. After the completion of religious formalities the authorities formally placed the accounts pertaining to the previous year at the feet of the deity in an ‘Asthanam’ organised inside the ‘Bangaru vakili’ seeking divine approval. Meanwhile the idol of the main deity along with the idols of the processional deities besides the idol of Lord Viswaksena – the commander-in chief of the army of Lord’s domain were adorned with new silk vastrams gifted by both the senior and junior pontiffs of the hill temple.

In connection with the festival the temple administration had suspended the performance of all day time rituals including the weekly Astadala Padapadmaradhana seva.

Earlier as is customary the authorities of the renowned Sri Vaishnavaite shrine of Srirangam in Tamil Nadu also presented a set of silk vastrams to the hill temple. The chairman of the Srirangam temple Venu Srinivasan and Joint Commissioner (Endowments) and Executive Officer Kalyanai carried the vastrams in a procession from the Pedda Jeeyar Mutt and handed them over to the authorities of the Tirumala temple.

Prominent among others who took part in the religious ceremony include the TTD’s Chairman K. Bapiraju, Executive Officer MG Gopal, both the JEOs KS Srinivasa Raju and P. Venkatrami reddy besides the CVSO GVG Ashok kumar on other officials.

Source: The Hindu, DT. July 17, 2013.