Devotees pull the chariot carrying Sri Govindaraja Swamy during the ‘Rathotsavam’ conducted as part of the annual Brahmotsavams in Tirupati on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: K.V. POORNACHANDRA KUMAR
A majestic wooden chariot carrying Sri Govindaraja Swamy and his consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi, rolled down the four streets encircling the temple here on Saturday as part of ‘Rathotsavam’ conducted during the annual Brahmotsavams.The event conducted on the penultimate day of the nine-day annual festival, drew large crowds who pulled the chariot using a huge rope connected to it.After the idols were brought from the temple and mounted atop the chariot, hundreds of devotees pulled the vehicle. Meanwhile, the TTD engineering staff applied brakes and managed to turn the wheels to manoeuvre the narrow stretches and the street corners.As is the age-old practice, devotees hurled rock salt and pepper at the chariot and carried home the pepper pieces crushed under its wheels as ‘prasadam’.In the evening, the idol of Govindaraja Swamy was dressed up as a warrior and carried in a procession on an ‘Aswa Vahanam’, a carrier resembling a horse. Published - May 30, 2026 08:52 pm IST
