Seva in Tirumala
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Arjitha Seva means performing seva to the Lord on payment of a fee to the temple. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams oversee the worship of the Lord and his finances. There are three kinds of Sevas: Daily Seva, Weekly Seva and Annual Seva.
The Temple addresses the main person performing the seva as Grihasta. All people performing sevas are advised to report to the Vaikuntam Queue Complex at least 45 minutes to 1 hour before the start of the seva. Usually the time of reporting to the Queue complex is provided on the purchased ticket. Most of the Sevas require the pilgrims to adhere to traditional dressing norms: dhoti around the waist and uttariya (upper cloth) on the shoulder for men and saree for women. The only exception to the rule is Archananantara Darsanam.
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[edit] Ticket purchase
There are three methods of purchasing tickets:
- Send a Demand Draft drawn on any nationalized bank in favour of The Executive Officer, Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanams, Tirupati. The Demand draft should be sent at least three months in advance to the following address: The Peishkar, Sri Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala - 517 504
- Booking for a few Sevas can be done online by clicking here: At present the following Sevas can be booked at least 3 days in advance and at maximum 6 months in advance. Reservations for Daily Sevas available online include Suprabhatam, Thomala Seva, Archana, Archanananthara Darshanam and Kalyanotsavam. Weekly Sevas available for online reservations include Nijapada Darshanam, Astadala Pada Padmaradhanamu, Visesha Pooja, Tiruppavadai and Sahasra Kalasabhishekam. No Annual Seva can be reserved online.
- Seva tickets are available one day in advance at Vijaya Bank Counter opposite Vaikuntam Queue complex. The counter opens at 8 a.m. and is open till 12 Noon. Please note that tickets unsold from the above 2 methods is only made available.
In view of security situation and to avoid misuse by brokers, most of the seva requires at least the person purchasing the ticket to provide his fingerprints. For online purchases and tickets purchased through DD method, the prime ticket holder or all members appearing for the seva would be required to report by 12 p.m. to the Padmavati Guest House Reception one day in advance. The details are made available in the ticket during purchase.
[edit] Daily Sevas
Pilgrims can perform sevas to both the main deity and the utsava murthi.
[edit] Suprabhatam Seva
Suprabhatam is the ritual performed at Sayana Mandapam to wake up the main deity and his consorts from His celestial sleep by chanting of the sacred Suprabhatam hymns consisting of
- Suprabhatam (Waking the Lord): 29 slokas
- Strotram (Hymns to the Lord): 11 slokas
- Prapatti (Surrender to the Lord): 16 slokas
- Mangalasanam (Prayer to Lord's Glory): 14 slokas.
The Suprabhatam is the first seva performed to the deity every day and starts with the opening of the main entrance by golla - cowherds. The cowherds or shepherds were given this honor to recognize their services of providing millk when Lord Srinivasa was in Penance. Descendants of Annamacharya recite Annamayya's kirtan. In Dhanurmasa, Tiruppavai is recited instead of Suprabhatam. The archakas (priests) offer a mixture of cow's milk, butter and sugar as Naivadyam (offerings) to the Lord. On completion of the Seva, the mixture is provided to the devotees as prasadam.
The seva lasts around 30 mins and starts at 3:00 a.m. The piligrims are then allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum giving them the best view of the "LORD". Each seva ticket provides entry for one person. 2 small laddus are provided to the pilgrim as prasadam. The seva does not allow children below 10 years though parents are allowed to carry children less than 1 year.
[edit] Thomala Seva
Thomala Seva: Sometimes also written as "Tomala Seva", this form of Worship is the most sought after "Seva (service to The Lord) at the Holy temple of Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh, India.
The Indian Basil (Tulasi leaf) is considered the most sacred of leaves for a worship, especially considered very dear to Lord Vishnu.
Hence the word "Tho" for Thulasi leaves, and "Mala" for garland. The whole worship during this Seva is done by offering Thulasi leaves to Lord Venkateswara, and then garlanding Him with a specially prepared Tulasi garland.
Historically, the 30 stanzas of Sri Aandaal's Tiruppavai (Tamil hymns scripted by a female devotee of The Lord Sri Ranganatha of Srirangam in the 7th century) have been recited during this worship.
This Seva is not performed during the months of May through July and again in the month of "Margazhi" (Margasira in Telugu) which roughly falls anytime between the English months of mid December through mid January. Devotees are allowed to sit all along the corridor leading to the Sanctum sanctorum at Tirumala, from the second doorstep, extending into the foyer area where the imposing idol of Sri Garudalwar (Lord Vishnu's steed) kneels in obeisance to His Lord.
The Enchanting Tiruppavai is sung and the chief deity is worshipped with the Sacred Tulasi leaves for about 45 minutes, giving the devotees to feast their eyes on the Lord that is otherwise not possible in the temple where the authorities only allow about 4-5 minutes because of the unending stream of devotees.sri devi boomi devi
[edit] Archana
On completion of Thomala Seva, Archana or Sahasranamarchana (1000 Name Recital) is performed to the main deity Lord Venkateswara amidst chanting of his one thousand names. After the recital, blessings is obtained from the Lord by stating the name and gotram of the ticket holders. The entire ritual lasts for 30 minutes.
Unlike other Vaishnava temples, the sahasranamarchana invoked is not the well known Vishnu Sahasranama but Sri Venkateswara sahasaranama which is unique and recited to the Lord only in Tirumala. While the origin date of the seva is not known, an inscription from 1518 A.D. is the earliest recorded instance where sahasranamarchana is mentioned.[1]
Lord Venkateswara receives the second and third archanas in ekantam later in the day. Archana is an arjita seva on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and is performed in ekantam on other days. Each ticket allows one person and 2 small Laddus are offered as prasadam for this arjita seva.
In tirumala it is very difficult to state the name and gothram of every sevakartha, as there would be some 1000 people who participate, so the gotram is not read. Instead the Lord's blessings is sought for the welfare of the whole world.
[edit] Archananantara Darsanam
At the completion of Archana, pilgrims are allowed to have a darshan of the Lord. This darshan is called Archananantara Darsanam ("Darshan after Archana"). Usually, pilgrims are allowed to enter through the last prakara for this darsanam. But the piligrim rush each day doesn't allow to beyond the first prakaram. Each ticket allows one person and two small laddu are offered as prasadam to pilgrims.
Initially, Till year 2000 All pilgrims are allowed to enter till the last prakaram.because there is no much crowd and TTD also maintains a limited tickets. But now the quota for this AAD is increased by TTD to accommodate more crowd. This makes the dharsan a worst experience
[edit] Kalyanotsavam
Srivari Kalyanotsavam is performed to the utsava murti - Lord Sri Malayappa swami (instead of the main deity) and his consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi. A purohit conducts the marriage and an archaka is consecrated to perform other rituals on behalf of the bridegroom. The wedding ceremony is held according to Vaikhanasa Agama rituals and starts with the Panchamurthi Puja. This is followed by recitation of Vedic mantras and pronouncing the family pedigree of the brides and bridegroom. The idols of the Lord and his brides face each other with a thera (screen) in between them. After the priests perform appropriate homas, the bridegroom and the brides are allowed to see each other at the appropriate auspicious moment as the screen is removed. This is followed by Mangala sutra dharana, Thalambralu and then Lord and his consorts are garlanded.
This seva is not performed on important festivals like Srivari Brahmotsavam. Pavitrotsavam, Pushpayagam etc. and on the days of solar and lunar eclipses. The duration of the seva is about one hour. Each ticket entitles 2 people to attend this arjita seva and they are awarded one big laddu, five small laddus, one vastra bahumanam (Cloth Gift consisting of one silk Uttariyam for gents and one cotton blouse for ladies), one vada along with Lord's akshantalu ('sacred rice' used for blessing). At the conclusion of the seva, the ticket holders are also sent for the darshan of the main deity in the sanctum sanctorum.
The practice of Kalyana utsavam started in 1536 AD when Tallapakam Tirumala Ayyangar conceived the idea of celebrating the marriage festival of Lord Malayappa swami and the ceremony was conducted over five days in the Tirumamani mandapam.[1]
[edit] Arjitha Brahmotsavam
Arjita Brahmotsavam is performed daily and is the abridged version of the Brahmotsavam event. The seva is done in the vaibhavotsava Mantapam where the vahanams are kept throughout the year. In the seva, Sri Malayappaswami is seated on Peddasesha Vahanam, Garuda Vahanam and Hamumantha Vahanam in that order and offered worship. This seva is conducted after the Kalyanotsavam is completed.
Each ticket allows 5 people to participate in the seva. The ticket holders are given vastra bahumanam and 5 small laddus for this seva. At the conclusion of the seva, the ticket holders are also sent for the darshan of the main deity in the sanctum sanctorum.
[edit] Dolotsavam (Unjal Seva)
Dolotsavam follows Arjitha Brahmotsavam and is performed in the adhala meda (Mirror Hall) as it is popularly known. The hall is in Aina Mahal (Addala Mantapam) opposite Ranganayaka mantapam where Arjita Brahmotsavam is performed. The Aina Mahal consists of mirrors on four walls and a central stage with a provision for unjal (Swing). Sri Malayappaswami, Sridevi and Bhudevi are seated in the unjal (Swing) and the deities are swung to the accompaniment of Veda parayanam and mangalavadyam.
The ticket holders are given vastra bahumanam and 5 small laddus for this seva. At the conclusion of the seva, the ticket holders are also sent for the darshan of the main deity in the sanctum sanctorum.
[edit] Arjitha Vasanthotsavam
Arjitha Vasanthotsavam is conducted daily as an abridged version of the Vasanthotsavam. The seva is conducted in the Vaibhavotsava Mantapam . The seva is offered to Sri Malayappa swami and His consorts - Sridevi and Bhudevi. The seva begins with perfumeries and scents applied to the deities. The veda pandits chants Purusha sukta and Sri suktam. Abhishekam is done to the Lord and His consorts with sacred water, milk, curd, honey and turmeric. Finally, sandal paste is applied to Sri Malayappa Swami and consorts.
The ticket holder are given vastra bahumanam, 5 big laddus, 5 small laddus and 5 vadas as prasadam for this arjita seva. The duration of the seva is about one hour. At the conclusion of the seva, the ticket holders are also sent for the darshan of the main deity in the sanctum sanctorum.
[edit] Sahasra Deepalankarana Seva
Sahasra Deepalankara (1000 Candle decoration) seva is the only daily seva that is performed outside the temple. The seva is performed in the Unjal mantapam located on the south eastern corner of the Srivari Temple at 1730 hrs every day evening. Sri Malayappa swami along with Sridevi and Bhudevi are taken out in procession where one thousand wick lamps are lit. The lord is seated in an unjal in the midst of the lamps and Annamaya Sankirtanas and vedic hymns are sung to the newly wed God and Goddesses. On occasions, group dance (typically from Karnataka, though not restricted) is also held. As a recent practice, after the Sahasra Deepalankarana seva, the Lord and his consorts are taken on a procession on the 4 streets surrounding the temple, before he is taken inside the temple complex.
The ticket holders are given vastra bahumanam and 5 small laddus for this seva. At the conclusion of the seva, the ticket holders are also sent for the darshan of the main deity in the sanctum sanctorum. The duration of the seva is 30 minutes.
[edit] Ekanta Seva
Ekanta Seva is the last seva performed to Lord Venkateswara before closing the temple for that particular day. Bhoga Srinivasa idol is laid on a gold Vuyyala (Swing) in the mukhamantapam using silver chains. Milk, fruits, almonds are offered to the Lord and performed chandanam is placed at the feet of the main deity after removing the kavacham covering the feet. Chandanam is also placed on the chest of Bhoga Srinivasa, Alamelumangai (on the chest of main deity). Since it is believed that Lord Brahma comes to perform prayers to the Lord after the temple doors are closed every night, chandanam, water and puja material is left for his usage. Water filled in silver cups are also kept for being consecrated by Lord Brahma and the same is distributed as 'thirtha' (holy/sacred water) to all pilgrims on the next day.
Tarikonda Venkamamba's harati in a plate inlaid with one of the dasavatarams (10 Avatars of Lord Vishnu) along with pearls bought by Venkamamba's descendent is waved to the Lord. During the entire ceremony, descendants of Tallapaka poets sing Tallapaka sankirtanam. In the Dhanurmasa (Marga masa), the idol of Lord Krishna is put to sleep in the vuyyala instead of Bhoga Srinivasa.
This exercise is done everyday, either as an arjita seva (paid service with public allowed to view) or in ekanta (without any public presence) based on the pilgrim rush on that day. Each ticket allows entry for one person and 2 small laddus are awarded as prasadam along with the mixture of milk, almonds from the seva. The duration of the seva is 30 mins.
The exact date of start of the seva is unknown while records exists of Krishnadeva Raya's wives - Chinnaji Devi and Tirumala Devi presenting golden cups to offer milk to Lord in 1513 A.D.[1]
[edit] Weekly Sevas
[edit] Vishesa Pooja (Monday)
[edit] Ashtadala Pada Padmaradhana (Tuesday)
In this seva the god is worshiped with 1008 Golden lotus flowers while performing a special archana. Admission for this seva through "vaikundam complex" and conditions for attending this seva is the participant should attend this seva along with his wife as "thambathi sameedha".
[edit] Sahasra Kalasabhishekam (Wednesday)
This is another unique and exquisite Seva offered to The Lord Venkateswara. It is performed every Wednesday Morning starting 7AM.
Amidst the chanting of mantras, the seva involves Yagna along with abhishekham of THE LORD (Utsava Murthy) using one thousand (sahasra) kalasas (Vessels) filled with Pure Water. During the seva abhishekam is also done using Milk, Yogurt and Ghee. The ritual approximately lasts an hour.
One ticket for the Sahasrakalasabishekam allows 6 people to participate with one couple allowed for Sankalpam.
"Prasadam" - 7 Big Laddus, 1/4Kilo each of Sweet Pongal, Pulihora and 7 dosas and 7 vadas.
[edit] Tiruppavada Seva (Thursday)
This is a unique and exquisite Seva among all the methods of worship offered to The Lord Venkateswara. It is performed every Thursday Morning starting 7AM. Here is the background.
Starting every Friday thru the early morning of the following Thursday, The standard famous Huge, Wide "Naamam" (a decoration with perfumed camphor paste across the forehead for all forms of Vishnu, The Vaishnavait Hindu God) adorns Sri Venkateswara's forehead covering all but part of His Eyes.
Removing this Naamam and bathing The Lord (Abhishekam) and again adorning Him with a New wide Naamam on the same day (Friday) was considered too time consuming, given the rush of pilgrims and the time constraint for a Seva.
Therefore, The TTD introduced a New Seva every Thursday Morning by the Name of "Tiruppavada" (translated, means a divine skirt, or loosely, a veil). A Huge mound of cooked Tamarind spiced rice (Pulihora) is poured on a gold plated tray (Size about 6ft X 4ft) and placed directly in front of The Lord such that it is about a couple of feet in front of His steed, Sri Garudalwar, in the foyer area of The Temple's Sanctum Sanctorum.
Amid Chanting of Mantras, The previous wide Naamam is peeled off and a thin Naamam is adorned on His forehead just to cover the space between His eyebrows. When this happens, it is believed that The Lord's first gaze after "opening" His Eyes (because they were covered by The Naamam) should NOT fall on mortals, because it has so much power. Instead, it is made to fall on the mound of "Pulihora" directly in front of Him, thereby sanctifying it and reducing the intensity of His Gaze. The "Pulihora" therefore acts like a Veil ("Paavada" in Telugu/Tamil) protecting devotees from His Powerful Gaze.
This new Thin Naamam then stays for the entire Thursday, and finally peeled off completely in the early hours of the next morning (Friday) during Abhishekam.
One ticket for the Tiruppavada Seva allows 6 people to participate including one couple for Sankalpam and begets a full basket of Sacred food cooked inside The Temple - "Prasadam" - 7 Big Laddus, 1/4Kilo of Pulihora, 5 humongous Jilebis (only cooked for this Seva), 5 dosas, and 5 big Vadas and 5 Jilebi Vadas.
[edit] Abhishekam (Friday)
Abhishekam is a Sanskrit word for the sacred bath that is performed to the idol of the main presiding deity in any Hindu temple. Based on ancient Hindu spiritual customs, this is performed once a week, typically on Fridays. As a Hindu custom, this Seva is for wedded couples (a male husband and a female wife) Only. As a "don't-disturb" rule, children under 12 years of age are not admitted - No exceptions. In Tirumala, it assumes a most ethereal, rare significance in that it is the most sought after "seva" (form of worship for the Lord by a devotee). Devotees virtually make a beeline for this Seva because watching the priests bathe the idol is the most emancipating of experiences, given that the belief of the devout that the idol is actually a manifestation of the Supreme Divine being Himself and not just a manually carved idol.
Types of Abhishekam Seva: This Seva is of 4 kinds - Only 3 of them are advertised, the 4th being the most expensive of all Sevas in Tirumala, and naturally, the least advertised.
- Abhishekam
- Musk Vessel
- Civet Vessel
There is really no difference in the current manner of treatment of devotees who paid for either of these Sevas. It used to be different in old times when the number of devotees availing this seva used to be smaller.
Each of these cost INR 750. Each of the couples are given a small silver vessel (that can hold about 0.5 gallons of water) that the priests help fill with water brought from the Sacred Hill stream of "Akasa Ganga" (The Heavenly Ganges). The couples carry the water round the Temple once and are then led into the Sanctum Sanctorum where it is taken from them and poured on The Lord during the Sacred Bath. The 4th Seva is called "Mel Saatthu Vastram" (In Tamil, this literally means "The cloth that adorns the body exterior"). This costs INR 12,250 and has a waiting list of 7 years. Only 8 tickets (for 8 couples) are reserved every Friday for this and the TTD gets request list of at least 100 every time. The lucky couples get the extreme bliss of carrying the heavy silk Holy Sari that will adorn the Lord subsequently in a heavy silver plate, carrying the silver plate on their head around the temple before being let into the Sanctum Sanctorum. The husband carries the sari while the wife carries the silver vessel and partakes in a small worship before the Abhishekam and hands over the sari from the priests to her husband.
For that Friday, the sari that was carried by the first of the 8 couples adorns the deity but the other sarees are catalogued and dates are assigned when they would adorn the deity.
The Seva Detail: It takes about 3 hours from around 2.30 a.m. through 6.30 a.m. for the entire Seva to complete and to come out of the temple. A team of 4-5 priests perform the Abhishekam based on a previous roster. 2 priests carry the water from outside in huge vessels into the Sanctum Sanctorum. A 3rd priest holds a perforated circular silver disc of about 3 ft in diameter over the deity's head. As for the deity, all bedecked gold and diamond ornaments, clothing, and finery is taken before this bath. The Lord only wears a white loin, and a heavy gold necklace bearing a pendant with Sri Mahalakshmi's seated pose. 4th priest pours the water from those huge vessels into a small silver special nosed vessel and keeps on handing it over to the chief priest who stands atop a wooden stool to give him that height to reach over The Lord's head, and pours the water slowly to the marvellously melodious vedic chanting of the Pancha Suktam - Purusha Suktam, Sri Suktam, Bhoo Suktam, Nila Suktam, and Santhi Vachanam. The Pancha Suktam is recited by 4 other priests whose only duty that morning will be the chanting of the Suktams. The water that the chief priest pours over The Lord's head trickles onto His Body through the several perforations in the silver plate that the 3rd priest holds. The sight simply enthralls the devotess into ecstacy and can only be beheld visually. Just before the chanting of the Sri Suktam, one of the priests brings a heavy silver cup full of semi-fluid, sandal powder that is viscous yet fluid enough to flow like syrup. As the Sri Suktam is recited, the chief priest pours this sandal paste solution over the heavy golden necklace of Sri Mahalakshmi that hangs over Lord Venkateswara's left side chest.
The Abhishekam concludes with the Santhi Mantram and curtains are drawn to dress up The Lord - the devotees await their visual delight - Lord Venkatewara with a freshly prepared Namam, dress, and some of the ornaments.
[edit] Nijapada Darsanam (Friday)
Archana anantara darshan on Friday is called Nijapada Darsanam. The seva allows piligrims to see the feet of The Lord Venkateswara. The Devotees are allowed one step inside the First prakaram of sanctum. Each ticket (Rs. 200/) allows one person and two small laddus are offered as prasadam.
[edit] Annual Sevas
The main annual festival of the Tirumala temple is the Brahmotsavam festival coinciding with the Dussara festival though Brahmotsavam function is carried out twice in the temple (the lesser known of the Brahmotsavam occurs earlier in August-September. Apart from Brahmotsavam, the following functions are conducted every year:
- Teppotsavam
- Vasanthotsavam
- Padmavathi Parinayam
- Abhideyaka Abhishekam
- Pushpa Pallaki
- Koil Alwar Thirumanjanam
- Pavithrotsavam
