Brahmotsavam ends n a grand finale

tirupati: the nine-day annual brahmotsavam of lord venkateswara at tirumala concluded on friday with the performance of chakra snanam amidst chanting of the vedas and mantras. early on friday morning the processional deity lord malayappa swamy along with his consorts sridevi and bhudevi were taken in procession accompanied by chakrathalwar (the divine army commander of the lord) to sri varaha swamy temple where the celestial bath was given to the deities.after the conclusion of the rituals connected to brahmotsavam, the cahkrathalwar was given a holy dip in the swamy pushkarini. the same time thousands of devotees who had congregated on the banks of the pushkarini took a holy dip chanting govindanamam. according to the legend,if the devotees manage to take a dip in the holy tank at the time when the sudharshana chakram was dipped, they would be freed from the cycle of re-birth. later in the evening dwajavarohanam was performed inside the temple lowering the celestial garuda flag at dwaja sthambam thus marking the successful conclusion of the nine-day festival. the nineday brahmotsavam attracted lakhs of devotees. the special illumination and the arches erected by the ttd added a new look to the temple town and made it look like bhooloka vaikuntham (heaven on earth).