Priests, Jeeyars celebrate 'Budget fest' at Tirumala temple

Tirumala: Money matters not just for humans, but for the gods too. And if it pertains to the presiding deity of the richest temple in the world, surely every penny counts. The budget must be perfect, ledgers accurate, and the audit should be approved by the Almighty. Lord Sri Venkateswara on Saturday 'gave' His seal of approval to the accounting books presented by a team of officials, priests and Jeeyars during a two-hour long elaborate temple ritual held on a grand scale inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Tirumala temple.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the temple of Lord Sri Venkateswara atop the Tirumala hills in Chittoor district, conducts the annual Anivara Asthanam or budget festival to 'apprise' the presiding deity of the revenue generated and the expenditure incurred during the previous year.They also seek His approval of the budgetary provisions for the year ahead.
Anivara Asthanam is a unique programme usually observed in the Tamil month of 'Aani'. According to a TTD statement, the significance of the festival is that the previous year's accounts of the temple are presented before the deity by the principal officers. The account books are later taken back to signify that the Lord has found the officers fit enough to hold their respective posts.
As part of the elaborate ritual, the TTD officials placed the keys of the 'bokkasam' (treasury), also known as 'lacchana talalu', at the holy feet of the Lord before the new account book is opened during the Asthanam.
The TTD in the evening organised a procession of 'Pushpa Pallaki Seva' in the four Mada streets of the temple town. The processional deities were taken round in a palanquin decked exquisitely with flowrs. Thousands of pilgrims witnessed the event.
The TTD cancelled all Arjita Sevas in connection with the festival.