Thomala Seva is a traditional ritual performed at the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirumala, India. The temple is one of the most important pilgrimage sites for devotees of Lord Vishnu and is considered to be one of the eight sacred shrines of Lord Vishnu. The Thomala Seva is performed every day and is considered to be a special privilege for devotees.
The Thomala Seva begins with the priests of the temple performing the “Nirmalya Darsanam,” which involves the removal of the previous day’s flowers and garlands from the Lord’s deity. This is followed by the “Abhishekam,” which is the ritual bathing of the deity with various liquids such as milk, curd, honey, and sandalwood paste. After the Abhishekam, the priests perform the “Alankaram,” which involves adorning the deity with fresh flowers and garlands.
After the Alankaram, the priests perform the “Deeparadhana,” which involves lighting a lamp in front of the deity. The lamp is lit with ghee (clarified butter) and camphor and is considered to be a symbol of the Lord’s divine light. The priests then perform the “Pujas,” which involve offering various items such as fruits, sweets, and incense to the deity.
The main ritual of Thomala Seva is the stringing of flower garlands around the Lord’s deity. The garlands are made of different types of flowers such as Jasmine, Rose, and Marigold. The devotees can also participate in the garland-making process. The garlands are first offered to Lord for his blessings and then distributed among the devotees.
The Thomala Seva concludes with the “Arathi,” which is a special ceremony in which a lamp is offered to the deity while the priests chant prayers and devotional songs. The Arathi is considered to be the most important part of the Thomala Seva and is believed to bring blessings to the devotees who participate in it.
Participating in the Thomala Seva is considered to be a great privilege for devotees, as it is believed to bring blessings from Lord Vishnu. The Thomala Seva is also believed to remove obstacles and bring prosperity to the devotees’ lives. It is considered one of the most auspicious times to have the darshan of Lord Venkateswara. It is open to all devotees and you can book a slot in advance.
Thomala translates as a flower garland. As a result, after awakening the presiding deity from celestial sleep with Suprabhata Seva, this Arjitha seva takes on the significance of exquisitely tied colourful floral and Tulasi garlands.
This Arjitha seva is intended to draw the special attention of the pilgrim grihastha who participates by paying a fee to witness the flower decoration of the Mula Virat (main deity) at the end of the puja.
The flower garlands in Yamunathurai, known as Thodutha Malai in Tamil, are brought to the temple by the Periya Jiyar-the chief pontiff of Tirumala temple, or by his Ekangi (disciple) in the temple, with a lighted torch in a procession to the rhythmic beat of Jeganta (handy bells).
The flower garlands are made into several pieces, each of which is a specific size to be adorned to the respective areas in order to enhance the Divine beauty of the Lord in a spectacular manner. This seva lasts approximately 30 minutes. This arjitha seva is only performed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays while in Ekantham (pilgrims are not permitted).
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Gathering Point for Thomala Seva:
Devotees should gather at VQC-I. Only one person per ticket will be allowed.
Timings for Thomala Seva:
Thomala Seva will be performed from 03:30 – 04:00 AM. Devotees should gather one hour before the Seva time at VQC-I
Thomala Seva is performed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday only.
Prasadam for Thomala Seva
Two Small laddus will be given as prasadam for those who participated in Thomala Seva.
Booking procedure for Thomala Seva:
- Thomala Seva can be booked online(Subject to Availability). Book Now
- Booking for this seva can be done under the Electronic Lucky DIP system, the same as Suprabatham.
Refer: Suprabhatha Seva
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