‘Ponna Kaluva Utsavam’ celebrated – The Hindu

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) conducted ‘Ponna Kaluva Utsavam’ in Tirupati on Friday; This meant a summer vacation for Lord Govindaraja and his wives Sridevi and Bhudevi away from the scorching sun. The annual festival is celebrated on ‘Chitra Pournami’, which falls on Friday this year. During the ritual, the deities were taken in a grand procession to Ponna Kaluva, 5 km away from the temple, braving the hot sun, as in the ancient tradition. The deities were placed in the water-filled Mandapam and the idols were given a heavenly bath with various aromatic products by the priests. Vetiver mats were hung on all three sides of the Mandapam to protect from the heat. The event was attended by a large number of devotees from Tiruchanur district.