Overview
- The chariot procession, which set off Tuesday through the four Mada Streets, carried the utsava deities of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana and drew thousands of devotees.
- Worshippers pulled the flower-decked ratha, chanted “Sri Rama Nama,” offered camphor harathi, and moved along with drum beats, bhajans and kolatam folk dance.
- Many followed an old local custom by tossing rock salt and pepper onto the chariot as it circled the temple.
- Tirupati police and TTD’s vigilance wing handled security and crowd flow to keep the procession smooth, with the festival scheduled to end with Chakra Snanam at Kapila Theertham followed by Dhwaja Avarohanam.
- Brahmotsavams is a nine-day series of rituals and vahana processions that present the deities on symbolic carriers such as the Sun, Moon and horse, and the ratha itself teaches a body-and-soul metaphor central to the event.