Sri Venkateswara Swami vari Brahmotsavam or Srivari Brahmotsavam is the most significant annual fête celebrated at the Venkateswara Temple in

Tirumala Tirumala is a spiritual town in Tirupati district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the suburbs of the Tirupati urban agglomeration. The town is a part of Tirupati Urban Development Authority and located in Tirupati (rura ...

Tirupati Tirupati () is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirupati district. The city is home to the important Hindu shrine of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and other historic temples and is re ...

Tirupati district Tirupati district () is one of the twenty-six districts in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and one of the eight districts in the Rayalaseema region of the Andhra Pradesh state. The district headquarters is located at Tirupati city. Tirupa ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The feast lasts for one month during the Hindu calendar month of Āśvina, which falls between the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years dif ...

months of September and October. The ''Utsava-murti'' (processional deity) of the presiding deity,

Venkateswara Venkateswara, also known by various other names, is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. Venkateswara is the presiding deity of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, located in Tirupati, Sri Balaji District, Andhra Pradesh, India. Etymology Venkates ...

, and his consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi are taken on a procession on several ''

vahana ''Vahana'' ( sa, वाहन, or animal vehicle, literally "that which carries, that which pulls") denotes the being, typically an animal or mythical, a particular Hindu God is said to use as a vehicle. In this capacity, the vahana is often ...

ms'' on the streets surrounding the temple. The celebration attracts pilgrims and tourists from all over India and around the world. A ''Brahmotsavam'' is a cleansing ceremony in honor of Lord Brahma, and the ceremony at Tirumala is the largest.

Etymology

The word ''Brahmotsavam'' is a combination of two

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

words—''

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...

'' and ''utsavam'' (festival)—and Brahma reportedly conducted the first festival. ''Brahma'' also means "grand" or "large". Srivari Brahmotsavam is also known as "Venkateswara Salakatla Brahmotsavams" and "Venkateswara Navaratri Brahmotsavams".

Two festivals

When there is an extra month in the lunar calendar, two Brahmotsavam are held viz., Salakatla and Navarathri. Both festivals were held in 2015. 2018 and 2020. In Salakatla Brahmotsavam, Rathotsavam (Big Chariot) is held on the morning of the eighth day; during Navratri Brahmotsavam, Golden Chariot (Swarna Rathotsavam) is held that morning of the eighth day. In Salakatla Brahmotsavam, there will be flag hoisting (Dwajarohanam) on 1st day and flag-lowering (Dwajaavarohanam) on the evening of the ninth day.

History and legend

According to the

legend of Tirumala For one of the major Hindu denominations, the Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Temple at Tirupati in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh is the most famous Vaishnavite temple in the world. The presiding deity of Vishnu here is referred to as Venkateswa ...

, Brahma descends to earth to conduct the festival. ''Sri Venkteswara Sahasranamastotra'' refers to Brahma performing the festival, signified by a small, empty wooden chariot (''brahmaratham'') which moves ahead of the processions of the

processional deity Malayappa. The first reference to festivals in the

Tirumala Venkateswara Temple Sri Venkateswara Swami Vaari Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared ...

was in 966 CE, when the Pallava queen Samavai endowed land and ordered its revenue to celebrate festivals in the temple. Until 1582, Brahmotsavams were held as often as 12 times a year.

Celebrations

The Brahmotsavam is held over nine days at the beginning of the

Hindu calendar The Hindu calendar, Panchanga () or Panjika is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes. They adopt a ...

month of Āśvina, paralleling

Navaratri Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in the honour of the goddess Durga. It spans over nine nights (and ten days), first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and again in the month of Sharada. It is o ...

. The evening before the first day, the rite of Ankurarpana (the sowing of seeds to signify fertility and abundance) is performed. The main first-day activity is Dwajarohana, the raising of the

Garuda Garuda (Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garuda ...

flag to signify the beginning of the festival. Religious activities during the festival include daily

homas In the Vedic Hinduism, a homa (Sanskrit: होम) also known as havan, is a fire ritual performed on special occasions by a Hindu priest usually for a homeowner (" grihastha": one possessing a home). The grihasth keeps different kinds of fire ...

and processions on streets surrounding the temple. The final day commemorates Venkateswara's birth star. The Sudarshana Chakra is bathed in the

temple tank Temple tanks are wells or reservoirs built as part of the temple complex near Indian temples. They are called pushkarini, kalyani, kunda, sarovara, tirtha, talab, pukhuri, ambalakkuḷam, etc. in different languages and regions of India. Some t ...

with the devotees. The Chakra is then placed on a high platform, and the devotees walk under it and are blessed with its dripping water. The festival ends with Dhvajavarohanam, the lowering of the Garuda flag.