TIRUMALA, INDIA, October 8, 2024 (The Hindu): The abode of Lord Venkateswara turned into a sea of humanity on the occasion of Garuda Seva on the fifth day of the annual Brahmotsavams at Tirumala temple on October 8 (Tuesday). The temple town wore a festive look with the gathering of hundreds of thousands of devotees from various parts of the country. The open-top galleries around the hill shrine, which can accommodate around 175,000 pilgrims in a single sitting, were packed to their capacity by the afternoon and those arriving in the evening had to struggle to find a place. The TTD officials had a tough time catering to the needs of the devotees. The Srivari Seva volunteers, scouts and guides ensured an uninterrupted supply of food and drinking water to devotees.

The Garuda Seva procession was off to a colorful start at 6.30 p.m. amid sonorous chanting of Govinda Govinda by devotees. The ecstasy reached a feverish peak as the procession of Lord Malayappa Swamy seated atop the bespangled vehicle was brought out of the Vahan Mandapam. Adding grandeur to the festival, the Deity was adorned with rare, precious and antique jewelry such as Makarakanti, multi-layered golden Sahasranamavali Haram, Lakshmi Kasula Haram, diamond-studded golden crown among others. With all the roads leading into the temple town remaining chock-a-block, pilgrims wishing to have the darshan of the presiding Deity inside the temple were instructed to join the queue lines from the Silathoranam point.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/lakhs-of-devotees-throng-tirumala-to-witness-garuda-seva-procession/article68732991.ece

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