Balaji on Kalpa Vruksha Vahanam
Tirumala, Sept 24 :
On the fourth day of Srivari Brahmotsavam, Lord Venkateswara adorns the role of Kalpa Vruksha to bless his devotees with their sought after desires for which they vow to serve and worship him. He rides on the Kalpa Vruksha Vahanam and goes around the four mada streets around the temple giving darshan to thousands of people who come for witnessing the Srivari Brahmotsavam.
Legend says that Kalpa Vruksha was one of the elements which erupted when the Adisesha placed his vice grip on the Mandara Mountain where the Deva-Asuras tried to steal the Amrutam (celestial liquid). All those who took shelter under Kalpa Vruksha did not have problems of starvation and poverty, says the classic literature of Srimad Bhagavatham.
The use of Kalpa Vruksha Vahanam by Lord Venkateswara also denotes the importance given to environment, greenery and promotion of forests and cleans and pollution free atmosphere even in the days of Vedas and mythology. Many mythological literature also hail Lord Venkateswara as a ‘Kalpa Vruksha’ as he blessed every devotee with boons sought by them, says Ramana Dikshitulu, chief preist of TTD.
The Kalpa Vruksha Vahanam of Lord Venkateswara is a magnificent sight of greenery as it is adorned with not only Kalpa Vruksha but also with the elements of Kamadhenu and Chintamani who are also known granting all boons to their devotees indicating that he was embodiment of all the three. The TTD has organized special seating arrangements along the four mada streets to enable thousands of people to sit around the temple and witness the procession which lasted several hours in the evenings of Brahmotsavam every day. The event is telecast by the Sri Venkateswara Bhakti channel which has set up live coverage of the event with its state of art equipment to give a glimpse of the Brahmotsvam event to lakhs of devotees all over the world. The celestial event is also web hosted by the Sify.com and 16frames.com
D K Audikesavulu, Chiarman, TTDs, I Y R Krishna Rao, Executive Officer, A V Dharma Reddy, Spl Officer, P V S Ramakrishna, Chief Vigilance and Security Officer, TTD Board Member Alluru Subramanyam, Sri Gopalakrishna, DyEO, Sri Bhuman, SVETA Director and others took part.