Vasanthotsavam is an annual Seva celebrated in Tirumala to celebrate the arrival of spring season.

Vasantotsavam is the combination of 2 words - "Vasantha" (Spring season in Sanskrit) and "Utsavam" (festival in Sanskrit). The festival is celebrated on the three days of tryodasi, chaturdasi and pournimi in the month of Chaitra

Chaitra

Chaitra is a month of the Hindu calendar....

 In the Gregorian calendar

Gregorian calendar

The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...

, the festival occurs between the end of March through mid-April.

History & start

The start of the festival celebration in Tirumala is recorded during the period of Achyutaraya (Saka

Saka

The Saka were a Scythian tribe or group of tribes....

 1460). The festival was started with the fund of 3000 narpanam contributed by Periya Solai, the son of the accountant

Accountant

An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...

 in the temple.

Function

The festival starts with ankurarpanam (sowing the nine kind of seeds) ceremony conducted on the day of Uttarabhadra star in Hindu calendar

Hindu calendar

The hindu calendar used in ancient times has undergone many changes in the process of regionalization, and today there are several regional Indian calendars, as well as an Indian national calendar. Nepali calendar, Bengali calendar, Malayalam calendar, Tamil calendar, Telugu calendar, Kannada...

 month of Panguni. One day before the start of the Vasanthotsavam festival, punya vachanam (purificatory rites), vaasthu santhi (worship of deity and lord of nature and their elements and natural forces as well as lord and deity of directions and environment) and samprokshanam rituals are performed by the temple priests(sacred consecration). Access to these rituals are not open to public.

Abhishekam - specifically called Snapana Thirumanjanam (Holy bathing), is performed to the utsava murthy and his consorts on all the three days in the Vasanthotsavam hall outside the temple premises. On the third day, abhishekam is performed to the idols of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman along with Krishna and Rukmini.Procession of the consecrated idols are taken in a procession in the evening on all the three days.

The Vasanthotsavam hall was demolished as part of the revamping of the temple surroundings in 2006 and since then the Vaibhavotsava Mandapam situated in front of the main temple is used for the festival.

Pilgrim participation

Vasonthotsavam is a arjitha seva - paid service where pilgrims pay to view the ceremony. Each ticket costs Rs

Indian rupee

The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....

 300 ($7) and allows 1 person. Apart from entry to the abhishekam hall, the ticket holder receives one silk

Silk

Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...

 duppata for men, a blouse piece for the women, 2 dosas, 1 vadas and temple annaprasadams (rice based blessed food).