The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) have decided to introduce the ‘Tulabharam’ rituals in the Padmavathi Temple in Tiruchanur.
‘Tulabharam’ is an ancient ritual in which a devotee sits on a pair of scales and donates coins, rice, wheat, sugar and jaggery to the temple in the amount of his weight.
The TTD has simplified the process for the ritual at Lord Venkateswara Temple in Tirumala by entrusting the responsibility of a nationalized bank and relieving the believers of the burden of carrying the gift materials to the temple. The bank staff, in the presence of the vigilance detectives, take note of the devotee’s weight by letting him sit on the scales, and the devotees deposit with the bank the amount corresponding to the cost of the material they want to give to the temple.
Former Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was the latest addition to the list of foreign dignitaries to perform the ritual at Lord Venkateswara Temple in 2019. Ace shuttle PV Sindhu had also performed the ritual after winning a silver medal at the Rio Olympics. With requests from devotees for the introduction of ‘Tulabharam’ in Padmavathi Temple, similar to that carried out in Tirumala Temple, the TTD consulted agama advisors before giving the proposal the green light.
In the meantime, a devotee from Chennai has volunteered to cover the entire cost of installing the scales on the temple grounds. TTD officials say the work will likely be completed by the end of the month and the rituals will be introduced on an auspicious day in the first week of July.