Sri Venkateswara Swami vari Brahmotsavam or Srivari Brahmotsavam is the most significant annual

fête In Britain and some of its former colonies, fêtes are traditional public festivals, held outdoors and organised to raise funds for a charity. They typically include entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments. Village fêtes Village f� ...

celebrated at the

Venkateswara Temple Sri Venkateswara Swami Vaari Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared ...

in Tirumala- Tirupati, Tirupati district, Andhra Pradesh, India. The feast lasts for one month during the Hindu calendar month of Āśvina, which falls between the Gregorian calendar months of September and October. The ''Utsava-murti'' (processional deity) of the presiding deity, Venkateswara, and his consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi are taken on a procession on several '' vahanams'' on the streets surrounding the temple. The celebration attracts pilgrims and tourists from all over India and around the world. A ''Brahmotsavam'' is a cleansing ceremony in honor of

Lord Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...

, and the ceremony at Tirumala is the largest.

Etymology

The word ''Brahmotsavam'' is a combination of two Sanskrit words—'' Brahma'' and ''utsavam'' (festival)—and Brahma reportedly conducted the first festival. ''Brahma'' also means "grand" or "large". Srivari Brahmotsavam is also known as "Venkateswara Salakatla Brahmotsavams" and "Venkateswara Navaratri Brahmotsavams".

Two festivals

When there is an extra month in the lunar calendar, two Brahmotsavam are held viz., Salakatla and Navarathri. Both festivals were held in 2015. 2018 and 2020. In Salakatla Brahmotsavam, Rathotsavam (Big Chariot) is held on the morning of the eighth day; during Navratri Brahmotsavam, Golden Chariot (Swarna Rathotsavam) is held that morning of the eighth day. In Salakatla Brahmotsavam, there will be flag hoisting (Dwajarohanam) on 1st day and flag-lowering (Dwajaavarohanam) on the evening of the ninth day.

History and legend

According to the

legend of Tirumala For one of the major Hindu denominations, the Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Temple at Tirupati in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh is the most famous Vaishnavite temple in the world. The presiding deity of Vishnu here is referred to as Venkateswa ...

, Brahma descends to earth to conduct the festival. ''Sri Venkteswara Sahasranamastotra'' refers to Brahma performing the festival, signified by a small, empty wooden chariot (''brahmaratham'') which moves ahead of the processions of the Venkateswara processional deity Malayappa. The first reference to festivals in the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple was in 966 CE, when the Pallava queen Samavai endowed land and ordered its revenue to celebrate festivals in the temple. Until 1582, Brahmotsavams were held as often as 12 times a year.

Celebrations

The Brahmotsavam is held over nine days at the beginning of the

Hindu calendar The Hindu calendar, Panchanga () or Panjika is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes. They adopt a s ...

month of Āśvina, paralleling Navaratri. The evening before the first day, the rite of Ankurarpana (the sowing of seeds to signify fertility and abundance) is performed. The main first-day activity is Dwajarohana, the raising of the Garuda flag to signify the beginning of the festival. Religious activities during the festival include daily homas and processions on streets surrounding the temple. The final day commemorates Venkateswara's birth star. The

Sudarshana Chakra Sudarshana Chakra (Sanskrit: सुदर्शन चक्र, lit. "disc of auspicious vision", IAST: Sudarśana Chakra) is a spinning, celestial discus with 108 serrated edges, attributed to Vishnu and Krishna in the Hindu scriptures. The Sud ...

is bathed in the temple tank with the devotees. The Chakra is then placed on a high platform, and the devotees walk under it and are blessed with its dripping water. The festival ends with Dhvajavarohanam, the lowering of the Garuda flag.