Heavy Rain Slows Tirumala’s Garuda Vahana Seva

Dark clouds covered Tirumala from Friday morning, and heavy rain lashed the hill shrine between 2:30 PM and 3:30 PM. Devotees who had arrived to witness the Mohini Avatar Vahana Seva in the morning remained seated in the galleries to watch the evening Garuda Vahana Seva, undeterred by the rain. Although the downpour eased later, light drizzles continued.

The Garuda Vahana Seva proceeded slowly under a canopy to protect the deity from the rain. Meanwhile, the expected heavy rush of devotees was not seen. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) had made arrangements anticipating a large turnout due to the Dasara holidays and the final week of the Tamil month of Purattasi. However, the start of local election nominations and rain forecasts may have affected attendance. The gallery gates, which usually close by 3 PM, remained open.