Hundreds of devotees missed out on the grand ‘Vasanthotsavam’ this year, which is being conducted behind closed doors in ‘Ekantham’ at the Tiruchanur Sri Padmavathi Ammavari temple here.
The three-day festival, which began on Wednesday and ends on Friday, is being conducted as a private affair in the presence of a handful of priests and officials. As all of its temples are still closed to the public due to the lockdown, the TTD management has decided not to allow the public into the temples even though the government had come up with guidelines for partial relaxation of the lockdown.
With the processional deity of Goddess Padmavathi was seated on a pedestal at Srikrishna Mukha Mandapam in the temple, the temple priests performed ‘Snapana Tirumanjanam’ (celestial bath) with milk, honey, curd, tender coconut water and a rich paste made of sandal, turmeric and vermilion as per the Pancharatra Agama doctrine.
Deputy Executive Officer Jhansi Rani, TTD’s Agama advisor K. Srinivasacharyulu and Kankana Bhattar (performing priest) Manikantha Swamy and Assistant Executive Officer Subramanyam attended the rituals.