Fervour marked Koil Alwar Thirumanjanam at the temple of Lord Venkateswara here on Tuesday. The festival was observed as a prelude to the annual Ani Vara Asthanam scheduled on July 17.
As part of the Thirumanjanam, the idols inside the sanctum sanctorum were temporarily removed and the main idol provided with a covering. The entire temple complex, its precincts and other sub temples were thoroughly cleansed and later smeared with a paste containing a rich herbal mixture of refined camphor, vermillion, high quality turmeric, kicchilikaya and other ingredients that act as disinfectant.
Hundreds of employees under the stewardship of TTD Executive Officer A.V. Dharma Reddy took part in the cleansing festival that lasted for over five hours.
The darshan lines which were interrupted in the morning resumed at 11 a.m. after the conclusion of the ritual.
