Sea of devotees takes holy dip in Tiruchanur

: About three lakh devotees took a holy dip in the tank of Padmasarovar shrine at the nearby Tiruchanur Wednesday on the occasion of 'Panchami Theertham'.

The Panchami Theertham marks the concluding day of the nine-day annual Karthika Brahmotsavam festivities.

After conducting the celestial bath of the centuries-old idols of Goddess Padmavathi, popularly known as Alamel Mangai,and the 'sudarsana chakra' (divine discus) at the side of the sacred tank, high priests, amid chanting of Vedic hymns, dipped the Chakraperumal in the waters, a temple official told PTI.

Later, devotees who had gathered at the shrine since the wee hours took the dip.

Thousands of policemen and security personnel of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) have been pressed into service to deal with the rush and vehicular traffic leading to the shrine.

An estimated three lakh devotees took the dip, the official said.

Observing the centuries-old tradition, priests and officials of the TTD, which manages the shrine, brought a silk sari, gold ornaments and articles such as sandalwood paste and turmeric from the Lord Venkateswara shrine to the Padmavathi temple at the crack of dawn, the official said.