TIRUPATI — A majestic wooden chariot carrying the deity Sri Govindaraja Swamy along with heavenly consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi rolled through the temple town on Saturday.
The spectacular procession marked the celebrated Rathotsavam ritual, held on the penultimate day of the nine-day annual Brahmotsavams festival.
Massive crowds gathered in the four historic streets encircling the shrine to pull the giant chariot using heavy ropes.
Temple engineering teams deployed specialised braking mechanisms to guide the towering wooden structure through narrow stretches and sharp street corners.
Following age-old traditions, pilgrims threw rock salt and pepper toward the moving chariot. Many collected the pepper pieces crushed beneath the massive wheels to preserve them as sacred prasadam.
Later in the evening, the deity was adorned as a warrior and carried in a traditional street procession aboard the Aswa Vahanam, a ceremonial carrier shaped like a horse.