MEDIA
YAJNASALA
| Sobha Yathra | A sacred ceremonial procession marking the commencement of divine events. Devotees participated with great devotion, chanting hymns from the Vedas and offering prayers, creating a spiritually uplifting atmosphere throughout the procession. |
| Ankurarpanam | This ritual signifies the auspicious beginning of the event by sowing sacred seeds in specially prepared pots. It symbolizes growth, prosperity, and divine blessings. Different varieties of seeds are used as part of this ritual practice. |
| The ritual is traditionally performed in the evening, as the Moon is considered the governing force of growth and nourishment for the seeds, making the timing spiritually significant. | |
| Security | Adequate security arrangements have been implemented to ensure the safety and comfort of all participants. Personnel are deployed across the venue to manage the crowd and prevent any disturbances during the event. |
PRAVACHANA MANDAPAM / MAIN STAGE
Note: National Level Artist events – To Be Added.
THE SACRED BEGINNING…
The divine arena of Pravachana Mandapam or the main stage was surrounded by chants and fervour of Sobha Yathra today the 2nd of February 2022. Sobha Yathra flagged off the event of Bhagavad Ramanuja Sahasrabdhi Samaroham.
Pravachana Mandapam got ready to receive blessed Jeeyars, Acharyas and dignitaries. From cleaners, helpers to police personnel, each volunteer was immersed as they worked to welcome the never-seen-before event. A replica of Sri Ramanujacharya’s statue is positioned at the centre of the main stage with Jaya and Vijaya alongside. The florally decked stage holds two mandapas with replicas of lions staged on either side of the stage as if to signify the magnificence of the Jeeyars.
The main hall with a capacity of over 40,000 guests is fully charged with the reverberation of the holy name of Bhagavad Ramanuja. The entire arena stood to welcome the intense devotion coming from all quarters of Divya Saketham.
THADIYARADHANA
- One of the names of God is ‘Thath’. Since all jivas (living beings) belong to him, we are all called ‘Thadiyas’. Showing respect to people by feeding devotees of God is called ‘Thadiyaradhana’.
- In this samaroham event, one part of the rituals is to respectfully serve prasadam (sanctified food) to people. This section has been planned very well and situated conveniently – accessible from all parts of the complex. It is on the way from asram towards the yaga sala behind the statue of equality.
- For convenience sake, the hall was grouped into 3 sections – the yajamanya section (people who sponsored for ho:mam), the VIP section and the third section for general public and devotees.
- The emphasis is clear – one and all should be served with prasadam at any time of the day. There is a continuous inflow of devotees. Since the yagam starts tomorrow, the yajamanya section will be operational from then onwards.
Today, around 3,000 senior police personnel were served in VIP section. - Bala bhogam (Breakfast) was served for around 10,000 people today morning. Mirchi bajji, Pongal with chutney / sambar and halwa were served.
- Raja bhogam (Lunch) was served for around 22,000 people up to 2:30 PM today. There was rice along with brinjal and cabbage curry, tomato dal, sambar, pickle, sweet pongal and butter milk.
- Sriman Kantha Rao and team from Guntur are organizing the cooking activities. They have a team of 150 cooks and helpers. There is a big group of 800 volunteers who are round-the-clock serving, cleaning, washing, organizing and transporting the food. The team is ready to scale up and add a greater number of cooks and helpers as devotees start increasing from tomorrow.
INTERESTING EXCERPT FROM THADIYARADHANA
The main chef at the Ruthwik Yagashala was kind to provide details about the kitchen.
Food is being cooked in brass utensils and on wooden fire. Around 60 Vaishnava cooks who have travelled from all the major cities of south India work round-the-clock to provide delicious and ‘pandaga bhojanalu’ (grand luncheons) to nearly 15,000 – 25,000 Ruthwiks who have come to grace the occasion.
