Lord Sri Venkateswara Brahmotsavam Festival

Lord Sri Venkateswara's Brahmotsavam festival 21- 30/9/2009

Brahmotsavam is an annual Hindu festival celebrated for nine days in the months of September/ October every year at all Sri Venkateswara Temples around the world. Special abishegams are held from 1st to 30 of Puratasi Indian month. And this year, it is from 17th September till 17th October 2009. Generally the whole month only vegetarian food or at least during Brahmotsavam festival time.

In Tirupati Brahmotsavam is conducted from 21-30/9/2009 while Malaysian Venkateswara/Srinvasa/Varatha Perumal/ Balaji are conducting as from 19 or 20-9/09 till 29/9/2009. The Brahmotsavam festival is the most important and auspicious functions in Tirupati and all Sree Venkateswara Temples. Popular stories trace the origin of this celebration to Brahma, the creator God, who first conducted this festival to Sri Balaji at Tirupati. Brahma worshiped Sri Balaji on the banks of the holy Pushkarini in Tirupati as a way to give thanks for the Lord’s protection of mankind. Hence, this utsava bears his name as “Brahmotsavam,” which means “Brahma’s Utsavam.” In Tirumala, Brahmotsavam is celebrated in the month of September/October.The Brahmotsava is performed over a nine-day period. During the nine days of the festival, the religious activities include daily homas and processions for the utsava murti on different vahanas, which are the chariots that can be seen in all Sree Venkateswara Temples. Every evening, the utsava vigrahas are decorated with different alankarams. The concluding day is the Janma Nakshatra (birth star) of Sri Balaji, which is celebrated in a grand way with Avabhritha Utsava (special abhishekams for the utsava murti). In Tirupati, the Sudarsana Chakra is bathed in the Pushkarini and all the devotees bathe afterwards. In Aurora, a priest takes the Sudarsana Chakra on his head and takes a holy bath near the Dhvajastambham. Afterwards, the Chakra is placed on a high platform, so the devotees can walk under it and be blessed with the water dripping down from Sudarsana. The celebration officially concludes with “Dhvajavarohanam,” the lowering of the Garuda flag. The priests pay respects to Gods and Sages with the chanting of Vedic mantras and see them off on their return to the Devaloka.The Brahmotsavam celebration provides a unique opportunity for all devotees to participate in the festivities and utsavas and experience the “Vaikuntha Anubhava” (heavenly enjoyment and feeling) and receive the blessings of Sri Venkateswara Swami. Every year, millions of devotees witness the processions,celebrations during the annual Brahmotsavams of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala. Every day of Brahmotsavam will be a feast for the eyes of the devotees who gather there. On the first day the Garudadhwaja (flag with the emblem of a black garuda) is hoisted near the Srivari Alaya Dhwajasthambham. A festive procession of Lord Venkateswara on the Pedda Seshavahana proceeds around the four streets of the main temple for two hours until midnight.Ankurarpana and Senadhipati Utsavam are celebrated on the day preceding the first day of Brahmotsavam.Some interesting observations during brahmotsavas are: As incredibly as the swan which separates the water content from milk, the reigning deity of the seven hills too, on Hamsavahan, relegates the paap and blesses the bhakta based on his punya. As the powerful snake transforms itself as a vehicle for the Lord during the Seshavahan and Chota Seshavahan in the Brahmotsavam celebrations, the essence of the Sharanagati Tatva explains the moral behind this utsav. The initial prayers offered at the Dwajarohan utsav and Garudotsav is to pray for an unscathed living with high moral values, while Garuda, requested by the Lord himself to stay in the hills, guards the skies from anything untoward coming by.
Tirumala Venkateswara Temple (Telugu: తిరుమల వేంకటేశ్వర దేవాలయం), also known as Tirupati Venkateswara Temple is a famous Hindu Temple of Lord Venkateswara located in the hill town Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh. The temple is located on the Venkatachalam hill that forms part of the seven hills of Tirumala, and hence the temple is also known as the Temple of Seven Hills (Saptagiri in Sanskrit, Edukondalu in Telugu , The presiding deity of the temple, Lord Venkateswara, is also known by other names - Balaji or Srinivasa or Perumal.The temple is the richest and the most visited place of worship in the world. The temple is visited by about 50,000 to 100,000 pilgrims daily, while on special occasions and festivals, like the annual Brahmotsavam, the number of pilgrims shoots up to 500,000, making it one of the most visited holy place in the world. According to the legend, the temple has a self-manifested idol murti of Lord Vishnu, with the Lord believed to have resided here for the entire Kali Yuga. In Sri Vaishnava tradition, the temple is considered one of the 108 Divya Desam sites.

also from ; wikipedia

My personal view of the Lord Sri Venkateswara is that we Andhras/Telugus who come from Andhra Pradesh or other parts of India. We should gather for all the festivals conducted at any Sri Venkateswara Temples either in Malaysia or India or anyway. As Lord Sri Venkateswara(Tirupati) of Andhra Pradesh is most worship in the world. The materials, songs, books and etc about the Lord are found the most. This in a way could help to gather US united under 1 roof and work towards 1Telugu.

I am also in opinion that doing or following prayers/festival for 9 days as Brahmotsavam make ones devotion/ attachment nearer to God. As according to our ancestors the 9 is the absolute number which classifired everything into 9 like 9 planets 9, 9 grains, 9 basic minerals and realising that 9 denotes all important occasions. Even one chants 108 times. Hence, following Brahmotsavam festival of Sri Venkateswara make one perfect or complete commitment to God.

I frequently go to Sri Srinivasa Perumal Devasthanam, at Klang, Puchong, Batu Caves,Subang Jaya, Sri Venkates Temple at Sungai Sumun, Teluk Intan, Perak and other one is at Komali Estate, Batu 6, Gemas, Johor built by my family Guru Swami Sinamah.