Tirupati: Goddess Padmavathi blesses devotees on Simha Vahanam

Tirupati: On the third morning, as part of ongoing annual Karthika Brahmotsavams at Tiruchanur near here on Friday, Goddess Padmavathi Devi decorated as Vennemuddaa Krishna, blessed devotees atop Mutyapu Pandiri Vahanam.

In the evening, the Simha vahanam was observed in the shrine with the Goddess mounted on the Vahanam blessing the devotees.

Both the senior and junior pontiffs of Tirumala, JEO P Basanth Kumar, CVSO Gopinath Jatti, Chief Engineer Ramesh Reddy, DyEO Jhansi Rani and others were also present.

However, the annual Ammavari Brhmotsavam which usually witnesses huge crowds of devotees, more so women, turned a low-key celebration with the Utsavam observed in Ekantham due to Covid restrictions. As a result, the devotees rush to the shrine for darshan of Ammavaru also felldown drastically. However, many devotees complained that they were forced to walk a long distance in the queue line as the TTD anticipating huge rush extended the queue line causing much inconvenience particularly to elders forced to walk long distance, despite no rush.

TTD chairman Y V Subba Reddy, EO Dr KS Jawahar Reddy and Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy were prominent among those present in the Simha vahana seva held in Goddess Padmavathi temple on Friday.