Tirupathi Balaji Idol will come to Mumbai

For the first time ever the idols of Lord Balaji and Goddess Padmavati will be brought to Mumbai from the famous Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam, Tirupathy in South India to perform the celestial wedding ceremony this December.

The two-day event organised by the South Indian Education Society (SIES), Matunga, in association with the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam, will be held on December 2 and 3 on 90,000 square metres of land at the MMRDA Grounds, Bandra Kurla Complex.

"We have been in regular touch with the authorities at the Tirupathy and that is how the idea of getting the idols to Mumbai was worked out", said Viswanathan KA, Trustee, SIES adding that hosting the wedding in the city will help getting peace and prosperity to the people here after the tragedies like the floods and the serial train blasts.

While the main idol of Balaji is fixed in the temple in Tirupathy and cannot be moved, the temple authorities there have a pair of another idol of Balaji and Padmavati to perform the wedding ceremonies, which happen everyday there.

The wedding ceremony was hosted in Chennai early this year and in Coimbatore last month. "We are expecting more than four lakh people from all over Maharashtra. People who find it difficult to travel till Tirupathy, will surely make a point to attend the ceremony here", added Viswanathan.

The idols will be brought to Mumbai with tight security along with 60 priests from Tirupathy on the afternoon of December 2 and the Kalyana Utsavam (celestial wedding) will be conducted between 6.00 pm to 8.00 pm on both the days. People will also be able to get closer darshan of the idols from 11 am to 4.00 pm on December 3.

A replica of the Tirupathy temple will be built with a dais of 20,000 square feet by artisans from South India. "It will be a typical environment of celestial wedding with gods and goddesses, the oration of traditional Vedic chanting following Vedic ceremonies prescribed in the shastras. It is a rare occasion and people here will be lucky to witness this beautiful event", said Viswanathan. This wedding will be performed in the presence of Sri Jayandra Saraswathi, the 69th Shankaracharya of Kanchi and Srimad Andavan Srimushanam Rangaramajuja Mahadesikan of Srirangam.

Email jyoti.shelar@hindustantimes.com

First Published: Nov 19, 2006 19:47 IST