The nine-day annual Brahmotsavam at the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara in nearby Tirumala came to a close today, with the celestial bath to the ancient idol of 'Chakrattalwar' by priests in the holy tank near the shrine.
Thousands of devotees took a holy dip as the priests performed 'Chakrasnanam' in the tank this morning, a temple official said.
Apart from the revenue from gold, silver and other precious offerings, the cash offerings alone made in the temple 'hundi' by devotees have totalled a record Rs 23 crore, about 30 per cent more than the previous Brahmotsavam, Temple Joint Executive Officer KS Srinivasa Raju said.
"Over 7.7 lakh devotees thronged the shrine and nearly half of them, including women and children, got their heads tonsured as fulfillment of their vow before offering their prayers," he said adding, a total of about 30 lakh pieces of 'laddus' were sold at Rs 25 each to the devotees after their obeisance.
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