| Vasanthotsavam | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Pilgrimage |
| Dates | Trayodasi, Chaturdasi and Pournami in the Hindu month ofChaitra |
| Frequency | Every year |
| Venue | Venkateswara Swamy Temple |
| Location | Tirumala |
| Country | india |
| Most recent | April 10 to April 12, 2025 |
| Next event | March 31 to April 2, 2026 |
Vasanthotsavam is an annual Seva celebrated inTirumala 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 oftryodasi,chaturdasi andpournami in the month ofChaitra[1] In theGregorian calendar, the festival occurs between the end of March through mid-April.
The start of the festival celebration in Tirumala is recorded during the period of Achyutaraya (Saka 1460). The festival was started with the fund of 3000 narpanam contributed by Periya Solai, the son of theaccountant in the temple.[2]
The festival starts withankurarpanam (sowing the nine kind of seeds) ceremony conducted on the day ofUttarabhadra star inHindu calendar month ofphalguna.[2] 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) andsamprokshanam rituals are performed by the temple priests(sacred consecration).[3] Access to these rituals are not open to public.
Abhishekam - specifically calledSnapana Thirumanjanam (Holy bathing), is performed to theutsava 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.[3]
Vasonthotsavam is aarjitha seva - paid service where pilgrims pay to view the ceremony. Each ticket costsRs 300 ($7) and allows 1 person. Apart from entry to the abhishekam hall, the ticket holder receives onesilkangavastram for men, a blouse piece for the women, 2dosas, 1vadas and templeannaprasadams (rice based blessed food).[4]
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