TIRUMALA TIRUPATI BRAHMOTSAVAM

              YEAR after year for more than a century now the Brahmotsavam of Lord Venkateswara is performed with increasing fanfare, gaiety and religious ardour. History has recorded that the festivity was started somewhere in the 10th century, and by the 16th century as many as 12 such Brahmotsavams were celebrated in a year. Currently we have an annual Brahmotsavam celebrated in the month of Bhadrapadam and once in three years the Navarathri Brahmotsavam is celebrated in view of Adhikamasam. It is claimed that the Creator, Lord Brahma had sought and obtained Divine permission to conduct the Brahmotsavam and leads the procession on all the ten days of the festivity. He is said to oversee the entire activities. The Dikpalakas stand in attendance during this period and assist the Creator in conducting the festival. During the ten days of the Brahmotsavam the Lord is taken around on various Vahanas some of them being the Sesha Vahanam, Hamsa Vahanam, Simha Vahanam, Garuda Vahanam, Gaja Vahanam, Aswa Vahanam, Ratham (the chariot) etc. The Gurudaseva on the fifth day in considered as the most important of the Vahanas. The Lord looks majestic, seated on Garuda, fully bedecked. He is without His consorts on this day. The Lord is decorated with the ornaments that adorn the Mula Vigraha only on this day. The Dwajarohanam formally heralds in the festivity and the Chakrasnanam announced the end of the Brahmotsavam. But in between there are occasions for every devout Hindu to snatch glimpses of the Lord as he is taken on procession, with His consorts on either side. Devotees dance all through the way, singing songs in praise of the Lord, and seeking His blessings. Pilgrims in multitudes throng Tirumala on all days. An average of over 50000 pilgrims a day is a staggering, and yet, conservative statistic. Imagine this during the period of the Brahmotsavam! The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, which manages the temple through a Board headed by a Chairman and members, and an Executive body, is hard pressed to manage the heavy crowd. Various facilities are introduced to service the pilgrims. Sudarshan tokens, special buses, Annadanam on a grand scale, cancellation of special and VIP Darshan are some of the measures to handle the teeming thousands. The pilgrims come with a prayer in their hearts. To pour their problems before the majestic Saligrama idol. To seek favours for the alleviation of the multitudes of problems in their lives. Each Devotee comes with a wish. To cimmunicate with God. Seek His blessings. Stand before Him in total surrender. Yet strange experiences have been narrated by many. When confronted with the majestic beauty of the idol, the devotee becomes speechless. His mind becomes absolutely blank. He can only chant Govinda Govinda, or Narayana or any other name of Lord Venkateswara. All the plans of seeking boons go awry. An earnest effort is made to drink in the image of the Lord. Carry it in the minds. Cherish it in all its splendour. But most importantly the mind is filled only with the image of the Lord, and nothing else. When the pilgrim is jostled around to make him move on, he can see nobody else around him. The giant idol in the inner Sanctum Sanctorum fills his being. He is gently, and yet firmly, pushed out. Suddenly he remembers that he had not wished all that he wanted to when he stood in front of the idol. He tries to recollect the image and mumbles his wishes as he shuffles slowly to receive the Theertha Prasadam. He consoles himself that the Lord knows best, and would grant his wishes even if they were not expressed before Him. Soon the image of the Lord also escapes his memory. The pilgrim knows he has to visit the temple again, and again, and again. Punardarshanam is the only way out. For the Lord is as elusive as ever. He simply cannot be trapped in any specific form. He does not want us to approach Him with wishes to be granted. All He wants is for His devotees to have a good Darshan, and focus themselves to see His form as He towers majestically. His left hand is poised on His thigh in the Katyavalambita pose, His right hand raised palm outward, fingers pointing down in the Varada Hastam (the giver of boons). Times have changed. People have changed. We are in the middle of cultural changes too. People in India are accused of embracing western culture and norms. Indians in the USA are building Hindu temples there. On the one hand the temptation of lucre goads them away from home, and on the other the fear of God forces guilt into them. Confusion reigns supreme in the process. With Time, many other things have changes too. The common man is threatened. His safety is in danger. But then, every major installation in our country from dams to Nuclear stations, from multistoried buildings to famous temples, travel and tourism to sacred places are under threat. The past decade has shown the world “Terrorism” in its worst form and content. Innocent lives are sacrificed before we bat our eyelids. There seems to be scant respect for human lives. Closer home at Kashmir, Godhra, Gandhinagar and other parts of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, you name it, the States have their own problems related to terrorism. So how do we combat this situation? Like the invasions of the Moghuls and then the British, when thousands of lives were given up. Is history repeating itself? Albeit in a new manner? Terrorism. Which crosses all barriers of humanity itself, and presents itself in the form of a demon out to seek retribution. What can we do in the face of such mayhem? Such gross disregard for human life. Crores of rupees are spent on security. Security from what? For whom? The invisible terrorists, Who could be our neighbours, our friends, even relatives? Who have been showing us a different face, masked in friendliness. And now when that mask is torn out, a defaced structure emanates. A structure that is both fascinating and appalling. Like the mushrooming cloud of a nuclear explosion. Ask anyone, and they would tell you all is not well with this world. Now why is this rambling on terrorism and religious fanaticism being voiced in the context of the Brahmotsavam of the Lord. Terror can strike as close to us as our own neighbourhood. Even in Tirumala there have been instances of scare. Security has been beefed up in an unprecedented manner. Efforts are on to check every hole and loophole and ferret out miscreants in whatever guise they are in. The TTD has installed machines to scrutinize all bags that are taken inside the temple. Nothing is left to chance. There are troops out to guard the temple. Yet, despite all this a packet of crackers in the Hundi created a flutter. How it could bypass scrutiny is still to be explained to the public at large. It may be an offering of a devotee. Definitely it does not brood mischief. Yet it can sow ideas. Another haul of dynamites being carried up hills caused a major scare. They were being taken to Tirumala ostensibly to carry out some blasting on the hillside. The security does not seem to be so convinced on the explanation offered. What an irony, that mere mortals should strive to save a temple. This temple has a recorded history of being untouched during the period of the toughest of moghul invasions. It has become now the epitome of Hindu religious beliefs. So what evil can befall it? Maybe, the concerned authorities are reposing trust in God, but keeping the powder dry. So it definitely is in this light that we are looking at this Brahmotsavam with a trepidation that seems well founded. Remember we are in the era of terroritsts who are willing to sacrifice their lives for what they believe to be their just cause. So a pilgrim who wishes to join the revelry of the Brahmotsavam should also be prepared to face some hardships in the name of security. Pilgrims would not like it, though they may accept it as part of the many hardships they face before they have Darshan. The average pilgrim visits the temple, stands for hours in along and winding queue to get a glimpse of the Lord, mouths his disgust at the treatment meted out to him by the temple staff in the form of pushing and pulling, and returns, planning his next visit. To him the visit is a way of displaying his total surrender to the Lord. To express it in as many words. Beseeching Him to come to his aid. Imploring for salvation. To him there is no other way out to achieve all this except Total Surrender ….. Sharanagathi. TTD administration : going hi-tech and digital to be pilgrim-friendly TIRUMALA-TIRUPATI DEVASTHANAMS (TTD), the official custodian of the hill temple of Lord Venkateswara and its enormous riches besides its sub-temples and allied institutions in and around Tirupati-Tirumala is not lagging behind in making an optimum use of the rapid strides the country had registered in the field of I.T and the digital world. Infact the functioning of TTD is one of a rare and ideal blend of both traditional temple management and the modern management techniques and could thus well be called a role model for any leading temple and charitable institution in the country or elsewhere in the world in the management of their institutions. # The TTD’s Executive Officer, P.Krishnaiah an IAS Officer who presides over the affairs of the 500- crore empire is of the strong view that such a synergy was rather imperative given the tremendous increase in the pilgrim influx—50,000 on an average daily and one lakh plus on festive occasions—and the new challenges it throws-up in its wake to the management to meet a range of their demands from the pilgrims for Darshan, accommodation, food, drinking water, sanitation, transport, health, aesthetic aspects, religious publications (both audio and visual). This apart there is also the task of administration of the 15,000—strong TTD workforce employed in its nearly two dozen different departments which make it look almost like a miniature government with a budget easily of the size of any small state. # It is in this context that the TTD administration has embarked upon certain ambitious programmes not only to make its administration go hitec to meet the emerging challenges but also to make the administration become pilgrim-friendly, an aspect on which it has been focusing its attention more during the last half a decade than ever before, as there is a general feeling that it is one area which did not get the attention it deserved. The TTD has been in constant touch and in close interaction with both individual management experts and I.T Gurus and also with corporate bodies and leading management consultants like Tata Consultancy Services, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore, I.S.O, CFTRI, RITES, L & T. Infact the TTD has set-up its own Sri Venkateswara Employees Training Academy (SVETA) two years ago not only to improve the professional acumen of its staff of all cadres but also to instill into them a sense of devotion, moral feeling, discipline and above all a compassion towards the ordinary pilgrims who often feel let-down by the successive managements in its inevitable pressure to take care of the VVIPs that throng the hill temple from allover day-in and day-out. # Most important among the latest introductions into the TTD set-up towards augmenting pilgrim amenities are the “Su-Darsanam” token system, E-Seva system, computerization of accommodation and seva ticketing system. The Sudarsanam token is a barcoded computerized wrist-band which would be tied around the wrist of the pilgrims indicating the possible time when they could have their Darshan at Tirumala. The time is fixed by the Sudarsanam counters et up both at Tirupati and Tirumala which would work in close tandem with the Tirumala temple in assessing the crowd level and the time factor. The main objective behind the concept was to let the pilgrims know the time when they would get their turn to have their Darshan so that they not only save themselves from the ordeal of monotonous waiting in the proverbial Tirumala queuelines but also usefully utilize the time thus saved either to visit other temples in and around Tirupati, tourist destinations, or their kith and kin living around instead of rotting in the queuelines hours together as in the past. Though the concept was good, for some reason or other right from the beginning there was a divided opinion on its utility and efficacy at the TTD’s top-rung itself with the result that its implementation is believed to be half-hearted. # Bio-metrics system: This is the most sophisticated and foof-proof system which the TTD management has been implementing during the last six months as a ‘better alternative’ and an improvisation to the Sudarsanam token system. Under the digitally-backed system, the thumb impression of the pilgrim desiring to have Darshan is taken at the specially set-up counters and transmitted to the entry point at the temple. When the pilgrim drops-in at the entry point at the appointed time already indicated at the counters, his thumb impression is digitally cross-checked and any attempt of foul-play immediately detected. Apart from its efficacy, this state-of-the-art system is said to be cost-effective and hassle-free. # E-Seva: Another I.T-based facility which the TTD has introduced recently as yet another pilgrim amenity was the E-Seva system through which online booking of different seva tickets and reservation of cottages could be done in advance by the pilgrims from their own places. A particular percentage of tickets and accommodation is set-apart for the elite pilgrims especially NRIs whom the system would benefit. With the flick of buttons they could get their tickets books in advance and avoid getting clogged-up in the serpantine queuelines which the hill temple is famous for. All that they need to have to avail of this facility is either a passport, credit card or such other identification material whose number they should feed into the computer while doing the on-line booking. Though it caters only to the high profile and white-collared pilgrims, it is nonetheless a giant leap in the usage of I-T by the TTD towards ensuring a hassle-free booking system. # ISO accreditation: Yet another major programme currently underway in the TTD to improve its quality of service to the pilgrims is its efforts to get the certification from the International Standard Organisation (ISO). According to Krishnaiah, the TTD has identified about a dozen core departments to get the ISO stamp and is seriously engaged in improving the standard of their working obviously using the I-T and the digital technology to the fullest possible extent. An evaluation team has already visited the TTD once or twice and the task is almost in its final stages. The important departments to which the TTD is trying to get the ISO stamp is naturally the Tirumala temple—the hub of the TTD, its ‘potu’ (the massive kitchen where about a lakh of the famous Tirumala laddus are prepared daily), the ‘Annadanam canteen’ where about 15,000 pilgrims are being fed daily free of cost, ‘Kalyanakatta’— the tonsuring centre where thousands offer their hair to the Lord, Engineering wing which spends a whopping Rs. 100 cr every year towards various construction works, Marketing Department which also spends almost a likesome to procure all the groceries, condiments and spices required for the temple, Accounts Department, forest, printing and publications, diary farm, hospitals including its Tirupati-based superspeciality hospital— SVIMS which is being run on the lines of the AIIMS, New Delhi. With a tie-up with the MNC, Mico-Bosch, the TTD also has procured four automatic “laddu” making machines, each at a cost of Rs. 50 lakhs, to improve its shelf-life of and also to spee its production to meet the demand. It is also in touch with the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore in this behalf. # Under Chandrababu’s close watch: Since Tirupati happens to be the home-turf of the AP Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu he personally monitors the town’s development in general and the TTD administration in particular. Infact it is to match the wave-length of the computer-savvy Chandrababu Naidu’s work-style, that the TTD management also has so tuned-up its working and is going hi-tec in meeting the increasing pilgrim rush and their requirements. The TTD also has prepared a perspective plan for the next two decades on the lines of the CM’s “Vision-2020” and has started a meticulous implementation of the same. # Haritha Project: At the instance of the Chief Minister, it has also embarked upon an ambitious ridge-to-land programme to improve the greenery on the entire Tirumala hill range through the latest watershed management techniques, rainwater harvesting programmes and so on. # Tirupati as a model town: Working in close tandem with the Chief Minister’s mind for the obvious reasons, the TTD also had taken upon itself the maintenance of not only all the main roads inside the town but also some of the arterial roads as he is keen on show-casing the temple town of Tirupati as the model city for the entire country. It is because of the TTD’s munificence, that the town could now boast of a superspeciality hospital, a 4-lane road between Tirupati-Renigunta and between Tirupati-Chennai via Tiruchanoor and Poodi as bulk of the pilgrims is from metropolitan cities like Chennai, Pondicherry, Hyderabad and Bangalore besides quite a few from Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad and ofcourse the national capital, New Delhi. # S.V. Prana Danam Trust: This is also another corpus fund created at the instance of the Chief Minister to provide free medicare to the poor and the needy in its superspecialities hospital here and so also in its BIRRD hospital, a treatment cum rehabilitation centre for the physically challenged. Oflate, again at the behest of the CM, the maintainance of the government-general SVRR Hospital and the Govt. Maternity hospital also has been tagged on to the TTD to make them work in close coordination with the TTD and make optimum use of their funds. # Towards propogation of Vedas, religion etc: As the premier religious institution in the country today, the TTD also has taken upon itself the onerous task of preserving and propogating our ancient scriptures, Vedas, sasthras, culture and heritage etc through its Dharma Prachara parishat to which it has earmarked as much as Rs. 20 crs this fiscal year, the highest ever so far. It is also providing old-age pension and scholarship to promote vedic learning in gurukula style by old and infirm pundits in their own places. # It has also set-up a digital library on philosophy and religion. The Library would be soon digitizing the ancient texts and manuscripts. # This apart the TTD runs a network of educational institutions from high school to degree level besides ayurvedic, music, oriental colleges in addition to a sculptor training centre # As far its reserve funds, it stands at about Rs. 560 crs and every year about ten to fifteen crs is being added to the corpus by way of FDs into the nationalized banks. The TTD expects to earn about Rs. 145 crs by way of interest on its FDs during the current fiscal. Sale of laddus is expected to fetch the TTD about Rs. 50 crs this year while the collections in the Tirumala temple hundi is expected to be of the order of Rs. 190 crs. Its wage bill this year is put at Rs. 105 crs out of its budget of Rs. 533 crs for the fiscal 2002-03. Narayanavanam, the venue of Lords’ celestial wedding AMID AN ECSTATIC ZEAL in the presence of elated celestial beings, Srinivasa, the most handsome young man on the Earth took the palm of princess Padmavathi, the foster daughter of king Akasaraja, in his hand and vowed not to leave it thereafter and tied the mandatory three knots of the sacred yellow thread. The princess attained the height of happiness and her blushing cheeks mirrored her nuptial bliss. Akasaraja blessed the young couple to live happily forever. Welcome to Narayanavanam, the locus of happiness on the Earth at the most festive moment. As the name suggests, it was a ‘Vanam’ (forest) snuggled in verdant meadows resembling a green carpet, covered by dense foliage endowed by the thickets. Add to it the tail-end of the Seshachalam hill ranges of the Eastern ghats and the azure sky that provided the backdrop, making it the best place on the earth for the celestial couple to wed. It is common in these parts to say that Narayanavanam is the “Lord’s Kalyana Mandapam on Earth” and surely, there is not an iota of doubt that the nondescript place has become popular only by the fact that it was here the Lord of the Seven Hills wedded Padmavathi. Narayanavanam, located about 40 kms south-east of Tirupati on the Tirupati-Chennai highway, is today widely thronged by pilgrims from all over, for some believe that a visit to the venue of the celestial wedding—prior to or after worshipping the Lord at Tirumala—would rid one of all sins and fetch eternal rewards. Tirumala, a group of hills lying in the shape of a coil makes one firmly believe that it indeed was the mythological ‘Adisesha’, the serpent-cum-celestial bed of Lord Maha Vishnu in his abode Vaikunta, that has formed itself into a hill on the earth to let the Lord ensconce on it. Topographically, the hill is between the 13th and 14th degree of north latitude and east longitude 79 degrees in South India. Puranas compare the range to a huge recumbent serpent and locate the Mallikarjuna temple of Srisailam on its tail, the Lakshmi Narasimha temple of Ahobilam on its back, the Venkateswara temple of Tirumala on the back of the hood and the Kalahasteeswara temple in Srikalahasti at the opening of the mouth. The Tirumala range has seven principal peaks, each of them sacred and bearing a name of its own, accounted for by a fable. The temple stands on Seshachalam and the whole range is often called after this peak. The eastern ghats which run close to the coast, turn into the interior after passing the river Krishna and then break up into a number of parallel ranges of hills, of which, three are distinguishable. The first one runs nearest to the coast, more or less in one single range. On the other end, the third, more irregular and much lower in height, proceeds northwards from the foot of the Mysore plateau and scatters itself through Anantapur and Kurnool districts. The central group is what is called the ‘Nallamalas’ in Kurnool district, on proceeding southwards, becomes more definitely like a single range and meets the eastern range round about the group of hills at Tirupati and Srikalahasti and even extends up to Ponneri coast, north of Chennai. These hills, extending the whole length from the Mysore plateau and stretching eastwards almost near the Chennai coast, thus constitute a prominent feature of the south extremity of Andhra Pradesh. It is near the tail-end of this central range, that Narayanavanam rests. Narayanavanam, situated on the banks of the river Arani (or Aruna), was part of the kingdom ruled by king Akasaraja. Let us see how the story on the celestial wedding unfolds, as narrated in the Bhavishyotthara Purana. Srinivasa, on descending to the Earth from his holy Abode, Vaikuntam, on the advice of saint Narada, starts looking for a home and finds one in a huge ant-hill on the Seshachalam hills (Tirumala). Vakula malika (or Vakula devi), residing nearby, sees a son in Him and showers motherly affection on Srinivasa. One day, Srinivasa decorates himself with the rarest of ornaments available and starts for hunting in the nearby forests on a snowy white horse. Sighting a wild elephant, he follows it and unwittingly goes deep inside the woods. To his pleasant surprise, He finds a beautiful garden, surrounded by an orchard and enters it. There His eyes remain stuck to a wonderful lady he had ever seen, who is heavenly beauty personified. The beauty, playing with her friends, also sights Srinivasa, the handsome young man on the white horse, and falls in love with Him. She is Padmavathi, the foster daughter of king Akasa Raja of the Surya Vamsam (solar dynasty). Earlier, when the childless Akasa Raja tilled a piece of land as a form of penance to please the Lord to bestow him with a child, he stumbles upon a box in the earth and on opening it, finds a beautiful baby girl. He names her Padmavathi and adopts her. Padmavathi, none but Goddess Lakshmi in the previous incarnation, has taken a re-birth only to wed her spouse Maha Vishnu again, who is now born as Srinivasa. Ignorant of all this, Padmavathi gets attracted to the horse-borne young man. He approaches her. With her eyes stuck to his, she tries in vain to move back and out of the reach of this gorgeously built stranger, but her heart defies the instructions of her mind. Srinivasa expresses his desire to marry her. The baffled princes, not knowing how to respond to an unanticipated proposal from such as unexpected quarter, remains in a state of shock. But not her friends. Reacting seriously to the wildest of proposals ever made to their princess, that too from an unfamed stranger, they pelt stones at Him. One sharp stone hits the horse and it collapses on the spot. A sad Srinivasa goes back home. On coming to know of the events, Vakula malika sets out to the king’s court to seek his daughter’s hand for her son. Meanwhile, Srinivasa dresses himself as a woman sooth-sayer and visits the palace to meet princess Padmavathi. He sees Dharani, Akasa Raja’s wife and pleads for a chance to tell her daughter’s future, for which the latter readily agrees. Holding Padmavathi’s hand firmly in his (or her’s?), Srinivasa in the garb of the fortune-teller advises the queen to marry her daughter off to Vakula devi’s son. When Vakula devi arrives at the court with the proposal, it becomes an easy job for the couple to decide and they perform the royal wedding with pomp. The venue chosen by Akasa Raja for the marriage, performed with all grandeur in the presence of Brahma, Siva, Indra, Kubera and crores of immortal inhabitants of the heaven, was, of course, Narayanavanam. That is why, as mythology says, the Lord blesses his devotees here in the form of “Kalyana Venkateswara”, along with His consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi. It is widely believed that offering prayers to this Lord will catalyse the wedding process of eligible bachelors and maidens. After the demise of the king Akasa Raja, his son Vasudhana and brother Thondaman, the heirs apparent, had differences over taking the reins of the kingdom. Srinivasa intervened, divided the kingdom and handed them over to the two, with Thondamandalam to Thondaman and Narayanavanam to Vasudhana. In return, the Lord asked Thondaman to build a temple for Him on the Seshachalam hills, which is the present Tirumala shrine. Even today, natives do believe that the Lord’s wedding took place right here and celebrate the memorable occasion every year. As a basis for their belief, they point to the only witness, the mammoth grinding stone in the temple complex, that silently speaks volumes of the wedding. People have strong faith that it is this stone that was used to grind flour to make sweets on the eve of the Lord’s wedding. Even today, the stone is being worshipped and statutory rituals, as prescribed in the scriptures and Agama Sastras, are performed to it. The temple of Lord Kodanda Rama situated near the main shrine is said to have been worshipped by the then ruler Akasa Raja. Given this historical background, the temple is attracting a lot of local devotees today. A local folklore is also in existence on the ‘parijatha’ tree standing tall, adjacent to this temple. In Dwapara Yuga, Lord Krishna presented a rare ‘parijatha’ flower to his beloved wife Rukmini, angering in its wake, his other spouse Satyabhama. Satyabhama, feeling thoroughly embarrassed at the biased treatment, wrests the only ‘Parijatha’ tree I n the entire universe from Indra, the ruler of heaven and the possessor of the Parijatha tree by waging a war against him. Satyabhama then picks up the most congenial spot on the Earth and plants it which is again argued to be the same Narayanavanam. The folk Goddess of the area is Avanakshamma, whose temple is located on the banks of the river Aruna. Locals revere her to be the true manifestation of Adi Parashakti, given her ferocious look. The eight hands of the idol has eight different weapons to destroy the demons and fire blazing on her head. She is seen wearing a garland of skeletons, about to kill the demon, Mahishasura. Shakti, formed by the synergic strength of the three super powers, Brahma, Vishnu and Siva, after annihilating Mahishasura, divided and poured her strength into four equal forms and settled at four different areas. While three as Kamakshi in Kanchi, Meenakshi in Madurai and Visalakshi in Kasi are already famous, the equally powerful Avanakshi temple at Narayanavanam is claimed to be the fourth. The area is also endowed with rich natural resources and beautiful sceneries. Singirikona, located 7 km from Narayanavanam, is home to a beautiful waterfall in a picturesque landscape. The splashing of water on the rocks, which scatter and throws droplets all over that caress the face is a pleasure to experience, that too in the midst of the unending chirping of birds. The temple started getting renewed attention eversince it went into the control of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) in the year 1967. The TTD spent around a crore to repair and reconstruct ramshackle structures and built a Kalyana Mandapam and a choultry for the visiting pilgrims near the temple. A special ‘Alaya darshan’ bus has been pressed into service to daily ferry devotees to the various temples in and around Tirupati, which covers this temple too. Given the historical significance of this place, there can never be a second opinion that it is the best of the temples for Lord Venkateswara anywhere in the world, of course, with the lone exception of Tirumala. Clean green and serene YEARS AGO, in another era, the Tirumala range of hills were considered sacred. To this day many Hindus believe that the range is but Adisesha on whom Lord Vishnu is said to recline. Many devotees deemed it a sacrilege to place their foot on the sacred hill. The Sri Vaishnava Acharya Sri Ramanuja climbed the Hill on his knees. Such was his belief on the holiness of the place. The vast expanse of the hillside is abundant in forests, and wild animals are said to roam about freely in many parts. Apart from the flora and the fauna, the range is said to be rich in medicinal plants and herbs. The hill range is dotted with various waterfalls, Jabali Theertham, Rama Theertham, Bala Theertham, Sesha Theertham, Papavinasam, and Akasha Ganga to name a few. A dip in these waters is said to wash off all of one’s sins and makes one free of all diseases. The natural arch or the Silathoranam is said to be a few billion years old and a natural formation. The surrounding area is lavish in greenery and a affords a breathtaking view. Currently it is a spot visited by all tourists who come to Tirumala. As the pilgrim traverses the path to the natural arch, he is accosted with the view of Ananda Nilayam in all its golden sheen and glory. The pilgrim cannot help but sit there and take in the scenery. Many hold up their cameras for a snapshot of the dome under which the Lord stands. Little do they realize the futility of their attempt to take home such memories. A photograph is fine. But can you take back the atmosphere and the serenity you experience? The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams is doing its might to prevent illegal cutting of trees, or burning them. Forestation programs are planned every year, and huge amounts deployed to retain the greenery of the hillside. A nursery attempts to give away saplings in polyethylene bags to all those who care to take back and pot them. Such saplings are also given to devotees who conduct certain paid sevas. The TTD believes in maintaining the ecological balance of the region. Vruksho Rakshati Rakshitaha (Tree saves its saviour) is not merely a slogan. What pains one is the marked lack of civic sense the pilgrims display. Pathways are strewn with trash, pavements are defecated upon, and walls are bright red with spit. The queue complex is veritable hell to the cleaning staff. When the pilgrims move in the queue the noise belies their devotion. Throughout the route they buy food and drink and other snacks depicting a journey to a picnic rather than to a temple. Hawkers view with each other to grab the attention of the pilgrims in the long queues and the racket can sometimes be deafening. Any amount of chasing by the security fails, as there is always a demand from the pilgrims. It may not be too much to expect from the pilgrim that at least from within 100 yards of the temple entrance, he tries to focus his thoughts on God, and push other things aside. It is not flattering to the attitude of the pilgrim when the TTD is doing its best to maintain the environment clean, green and serene. The least each can do is to put in their effort to leave the environ as it is, if not cleaner. It would do well to realize that it is an enormous job to keep a place in clean and healthy sanitary conditions when on an average 50000 pilgrims arrive everyday. Things can, and must change for the better. It is in our hands to keep the place clean. Know that it is a place of pilgrimage considered sacred by all. Keep the thought in mind as you walk on the pavements and pathways. You would automatically bend down to pick up some trash discarded by another and search for a dustbin. Remember Venkatadri is not just another hill station, it is an apogee of Vaishnavite devotion and belief. Is it not enough reason to keep the place clean and green? Serenity is sure to follow.

fromTHE HINDU