Goddess Padmavati rides celestial carriers on Ratha Saptami at Tiruchanur

The deity of Goddess Padmavati was taken out in dazzling processions on various celestial carriers around the Tiruchanur temple here on Sunday on the occasion of Ratha Saptami. As the festival also coincided with Surya Jayanti, the celebrations assumed special significance at Tiruchanur, which also houses an exclusive temple of Lord Surya Narayana.

As in other temples under the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, the deity was brought out at dawn and mounted on the Surya Prabha Vahanam, symbolising the Sun God. This was followed by processions on Hamsa Vahanam, Aswa Vahanam, Garuda Vahanam and Chinna Sesha Vahanam till noon. In the afternoon, Snapana Tirumanjanam, a ceremonial celestial bath, was performed with milk, curd, honey, coconut water, turmeric and sandal paste. Later in the evening, the Goddess was taken out on Chandra Prabha and Gaja Vahanams.

As Ratha Saptami involves day-long processions, it is observed as a Mini Brahmotsavam at all TTD temples. At the Surya Narayana Swamy temple, the deity was mounted on Aswa Vahanam at dawn to give darshan to large numbers of devotees.

Cultural troupes presented devotional concerts and performed Kolatam and Chekka Bhajana in front of the procession under the aegis of the TTD’s propagation wings such as the Hindu Dharma Prachara Parishat, Dasa Sahitya Project and the SV Music and Dance College. Meanwhile, similar processions were taken out around the Sri Govindaraja Swamy temple in Tirupati, where the deity was mounted on seven different vahanams, offering blissful darshan to devotees.