The annual Brahmotsavam at the TTD’s Sri Govindaraja Swamy Temple commenced on a colourful note on Saturday.

The ‘Dhwajarohanam’ ritual was performed in the morning, during which priests hoisted the sacred ‘Dhwaja Patam’ atop the temple flag post amid Vedic chants and the playing of traditional musical instruments.

The ceremony was held between 7.35 a.m. and 8.49 a.m., considered an auspicious period according to the Hindu almanac. Earlier, the yellow flag bearing the imprint of Garuda, the celestial carrier of Govindaraja Swamy, was taken in a procession along the four mada streets surrounding the temple.

According to temple mythology, the flag-hoisting ceremony symbolically invites demi-gods and celestial beings to witness the nine-day annual festival.

‘Snapana Tirumanjanam’ (celestial bath) was performed to the processional deities in the afternoon using milk, curd, honey, coconut water, turmeric and sandal paste. In the evening, ‘Unjal Seva’ was conducted, during which the deities were placed on a swing and gently rocked to and fro.

Later, the deities were taken in a procession on the ‘Pedda Sesha Vahanam’, representing the seven-hooded serpent, through the temple streets.

The TTD made elaborate arrangements for the festival, including serial lighting, floral decorations and rangoli patterns along the temple streets. Pandals were also erected to provide relief to devotees from the scorching summer heat.