9-day Karthika Brahmotsavam begins

Tirupati: The annual Karthika Brahmotsavams at the abode of goddess Padmavathi got off to a colourful start at Tiruchanoor on Saturday.
The nine-day annual festival, which is celebrated on par with the Tirumala Srivari Brahmotsavams, was flagged off with the ‘Dwajarohanam’ fete held inside the main temple complex in the evening. Amidst the chanting of the vedic hymns, priests at the Tiruchanoor temple hoisted the ‘dwaja-patam’ (flag) with an imprint of an elephant, marking the commencement of the festival.
Goddess Padmavathi—the divine consort of Lord Venkateswara and the goddess of wealth—was seated atop the golden ‘chinna sesha vahanam’ and taken out on a ride along the four mada streets encircling the main temple.
Elaborate security arrangements made by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams vigilance and security wing, in coordination with the Tirupati urban police wing, ensured the first day Brahmotsavams festivities passed off smoothly.
The goddess will be taken out on ‘pedda sesha vahanam’ in the morning and the ‘hamsa vahanam’ in the evening on Sunday.