Dear All,
Suprabatham:
May, this year Tirumala Thirupathi Devasthanam (TTD) had arranged for Lord Srinivasa Thirukalyana Utsavam in US. We, the Plano-vasis had the pleasure of watching this Celestial Wedding. It was held in Dr. Pepper Arena. As the readers would know, Kalyana Utsavam in Thirupathi is almost a daily affair. The exact ceremony (and more) were repeated here as well. TTD had arranged for the idols from Thirupathi temple to be bought over to US for this function. Overall it was a great occasion and here's a summary of it with some pictures that I had taken during this function.
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| TTD Wedding - Thirumala Priest with the deities |
The day started at around 8am with recital of Venkatesa Suprabatham and waking up of the deities. The priests from Tirupathi were joined by local priests and recited the composition of Sri Prathivathi Bhayankaram Annan Swamigal. After the Suprabatham, we had the Deeparaadhana.
Thomala Seva & Archana:
Suprabatham was followed by Thomala Seva, where the lord is garlanded with flowers. The original Tamil name for this is தோள் மாலை Seva (Shoulder length Garland Seva), which later changed into Thomala Seva. This sampradayam (tradition) was initiated by Swami Ramanuja.
Archana seva followed this. The priests recited the 108 holy names of the lord and goddess Lakshmi. This was followed by Deeparadhana.
The main event:
The next event was the wedding. Both bride and groom were placed facing each other, separate by a veil. The process was very similar to Andhra style of wedding. All attendees did the Sankalpam with our gothram etc. We had the மாலை மாற்றல் (exchanging the garlands by the bride and groom). This was followed by Maangalya pooja (worshiping goddess Lakshmi in the form of தாலிக்கொடி). Isn't it interesting to note that Goddess Lakshmi is worshiped in her own marriage!!! I guess this is what Kamban referred when he said,
மான் அணி நோக்கினார் தம்
And then the grand finale....Lord Srinivasa tied the Maangalya Sutra to both Sridevi and Bhoodevi naachiyaars. Given that our father and mother (Lord Srinivasa, Mother Lakshmi and Bhoomadevi) are going to be in a happy mood, we fell at their feet and got their blessings and washed away our generations of sins.
Some of us are lucky to watch our parents' wedding in the form of 60th or 80th birthday celebrations of our father. However, such celestial weddings are the eternal parents' wedding that we can watch, enjoy and benefit. Let us pray Lord Srinivasa, Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Bhoomadevi to bless us with good health and divine knowledge.
NOTE: I started this blog in May, when we had the TTD organized Srinivasa Kalyana Utsavam. Given my 'blogging speed', I attended another Srinivasa Thirukkalyanam, in August '12. This time it was in the KaryaSiddhi Anjaneyar temple in Frisco. Sharing pictures from both the weddings.
Thomala Seva & Archana:
Suprabatham was followed by Thomala Seva, where the lord is garlanded with flowers. The original Tamil name for this is தோள் மாலை Seva (Shoulder length Garland Seva), which later changed into Thomala Seva. This sampradayam (tradition) was initiated by Swami Ramanuja.
Archana seva followed this. The priests recited the 108 holy names of the lord and goddess Lakshmi. This was followed by Deeparadhana.
The main event:
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| Hanuman Temple Kalyana Utsavam |
மான் அணி நோக்கினார் தம்
மங்கல கழுத்துகேல்லாம்
தான் அணியான போது
தனக்கு அணி யாது மாதோ!!
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| TTD Kalyana Utsavam - Divine Parents |
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| Hanuman Temple - Divine Parents |
NOTE: I started this blog in May, when we had the TTD organized Srinivasa Kalyana Utsavam. Given my 'blogging speed', I attended another Srinivasa Thirukkalyanam, in August '12. This time it was in the KaryaSiddhi Anjaneyar temple in Frisco. Sharing pictures from both the weddings.
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