Inclusivity of Sri Venkateswara temple at Tirumala

Of late i am seeing Madri or replica of Srinivasar's sevas at Tirumala on TV It is broadcasted by TTd in its svbc channel every day

This telecast watched in leisure of the actual rituals carried  on in the temple has given me deep insight into the underlying principle guiding  it.

This ancient sacred temple is very inclusive .It is a temple whose presiding deity is Vishnu yet Saivaites  viz Smarthas have been given a important role in the course of  several rituals conducted every day in this temple.
Smartha vedic pandits smearing their forehead with Vibhuthi or sacred ash are present in the very first seva of the day --the Suprabhatah sevas the early morning ritual of awakening Sri Venkateshwara after opening the doors of the inner sanctum sanctorium.They are standing on two lines facing each other and recite the sanskrit slokas with great devotion eqalling that of Sri vaishnavaite vedic pandits who also recite along with them in unison!
I also see the Smartha vedic pandits in other sevas like Dolo utsvam at noon where procesional deities of Srinivasar and his two consorts are rocked gently on a swing in a mirrored hall.They are also present in the evening seva of Sahasara deepa alankara reciting vedas for 10-15 minutes when Srinivasar and his consort[processional deities]are rocked gently in hall lit with 1000 oil lamps.The latter two sevas are not replicas but actual live telecast..They were also present in recent Teppostuvam where processional deities of Srinivasar and his consorts where towed around in a richly decorated raft in the pushkarni .They were seated inside the raft and were chanting vedas .
I have visited Tirumala scores of times even attended ,Suprabhatahseva Dolotutsvam  and shasardeepaalnakara seva several times but never observed thier presence or its significance. as there is too much hustle and bustle with crowds and crowds  of devotees that all this slipped my notice It was on TV without that i took notice of this.unique participation and it being allowed .Maybe when a dispute rose in Ramanujar's times when this temple was overrun by Saivites Ramanujar who settled the issue between two sects by citing a lot of shastric evidences that the presiding deity wasnot Siva or Muruga   but Vishnu , he gave Saivites a  important role in this temple rituals as means to secure harmony between the two warring sects of his times.
Tirumala is a shining example for  harmonising sectarianism .In no other Vishnu temple , be it Srirangam of Sri Vardharajar or Ahobilam  where the crowds are no where near at what it is in Tiruamala  or even smaller and lesser known Vishnu temples in Tamilnadu or karnataka, Saivites have this honour .

In  Vishnu temples in tamilnadu  it is  either under one subsect of Srivaishnavaites or under the other.In temples under a subsect it is purely under thier control They normally will not allow the other subsect priest s to perform pujas in the sanctum .It is Thengalai sub sect that has maximum number of Vishnu temples under thier control at Tamil nadu .
As far as Srinvasar temple at Tirumala is concerned pujas , archana and abhisekhams are performed by archakas of Vadagalai sect of Sri vaishnavaites Long ago  a dispute rose between the two subsects over drawing of thiruman over Lords forhead .It was then settled that it would neither be of both subsects but a different one as is present now which is acceptable to both .
I was under the impression that this temple was solely a vadagalai temple and other sub sect was kept away.But the abhishekam of Srinivasar in sanctum done on Fridays showed the seer of Thenagalai sect inside the sanctum handing water, milk sandal paste , turmeric and so on to the Vadagalai archaka who then performs the abhishekam Astonishing how differences have been settled and  the amicability and respect that prevails between sects of Hinduism and sub sects of Sri Vaishnavism  in Tirumala .Madhavas another sect of Vaishnavism also have a role  in the rituals .
It is not only  a temple that harmonises various sects of Brahmins but also gives important roles to non brahmins
Early in the morning it a non brahmin  who opens a box and hands over the keys to the doors of the sanctum to the  priest to the accompaniment of Nadaswaram . thavil which is played by non brahmins near the sanctum A person who is not the priest enters the sanctum first According to Sapthagiri magazine of TTD it is  a person of yadava caste who has  the right to enter the sanctum first in the morning..It is non brahmins and Schedules caste persons  who carry the palanquin of the processional deity every day
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The abhishekam of Srinivasar on Fridays is a wonderful  and a very touching ritual to watch .Srinivasar bereft of his silk clothes and innumerable gold and diamond ornaments  barring his sanku and chakram is not only awe inspiring with his towering height but also at the same time looks vulnerable. The tall form is neat and trim A smiling face with a distinctively long and shapely sharp nose ,with eyes gazing straight into eternity and a magnetic smile hovering around his lips .Broad shoulders, narrow waist, belly sunk in , long limbs, slender   hands  with long  artistic fingers capped with  big nails with lines on the right hand palm  and long feet are all clearly visible . In this perfect  form  of manhood there is a tiny carving of Mahalakhmi   which adorns Srinivasars/Purushothaman's broad chest like a permanent tatoo.

          The archaka has to climb on a stool  to perform abhishekam The manner in which the archakar smears the face body and limbs and feet of Srinivasar with  turmeric and  sandal paste  gently with tenderness and affection is truly touching.  This moorthy is made of hard granite stone yet the priest  oiniting the deity with turmeric and sandal wood paste does it with a lot of  gentleness like as if  the deity had a delicate baby skin ! And the water and milk  from huge silver vessels that he pours  with help of a gold shanku to wash of the these bathing condiments  is also done very gently with utmost patience

                       An upanyasakars words come to my mind Sriman Narayana is all power full but when he takes  a archa form it for us his devotees who has to take care of him !

Vedic pandits chant Purush suktum , Narayana suktum and Sri suktum .Sri suktum is also recited because abhishekam of Mahalakshmi is also performed as she  is embossed on right side of his sacred chest and is inseparable from her consort .
The water poured over Srinivasar is collected by the priest from Srinivasars navel ,He sprinkles them on himself first and then on the seers inside the sanctum and  then on the vedic pandits and officials, An official could be from  scheduled caste which means that persons from that caste  receives the sacred water along with vedic pandits.

During the annual Chakra snanam performed in the Pushkarni of the temple people[men and women] from all castes from Brahmin to SC's, from the highest official or leader to the lowest peon , take a dip in the water simultaneously .This is  dip in water  by all, simultaneously is however not unique only to Srinivasar temple but takes place in all temples and at all sacred rivers or lakes and tanks . 

Some Dravidian thinkers & politicians who hog the media  have squashed the history of  hoary hindu culture and traditions of Tamilians.This comes to my mind when i see a weekly seva where a small silver idol who represents the presiding deity is bathed with water collected in 10008 silver pots after it is sanctified by a homam conducted  in front of main deity 's sanctum.He is also put off to sleep every night  by rocking him gently in a silver cradle to the accompaniment of singing of lullabyes by descendants of a bhakthi poet of earlier times.
This silver idol was a gift made by a Pallava queen in 600 AD .Pallavas are Tamil /Dravidian kings of yore who have built exquisite temples in rock and have sculpted wonderful idols of  various gods from Hindu pantheon which are to be found till today at Mahabalipuran and at Kanchipuram .The temple at Tirumala for Srinivasar was built by a Chozha emperor  who was a Tamil ,more than 2000-3000years back.
In recent times i was amazed to watch 100o' s of men and women all over Tamil nadu taking part very enthusiastically  with a lot of devotion  in temple festivals that includes chanting of Vedas and homams in daily telecast by svbc channel.



In another seva introduced three decades earlier , the gift of 108 small gold lotuses  by a Muslim business man from Hyderabad was accepted and his devotion honoured by performing archana  of the main deity's sacred feet  by chanting sanskrit slokas with these lotuses .This a regular weekly seva!

When i saw this i didnt like TTD becoming secular in the political sense That person belongs to a community that frowns upon idol worship and are known for breaking idols .That donor cannot even enter the temple to see how is contribution is put to use whether he wants to enter or not .So why this special honour?
The anchors explanation was this--A sincere gift made to Srinivasar with faith and devotion even by those who belong to faiths antagnostic to ours  like Islam ,will be accepted and duly honoured.It his bhakthi and belief  in Srinivasar that matters .

Britishers have also gifted several ornaments which are used on and off to decorate Srinivasar .for the past 200 years according to Sapthagiri magazine.When i read this i thought why honour these persons who belong to a community that is adept in conversion That anchors explanation came to my mind These gifts made by Christians have been accepted and duly honoured keeping in mind their devotion and belief in Srinivasar which has prompted them to make this gesture..But if they want to enter the temple they must give it in writing to ttd that they believe in Srinivasar.

I have come across many who are staunch believers in Murugan,or Ayyanar  or Amman but will visit Tirumala temple at least once a year  either seeking favours or thanking for  fulfullment of requests sought or  to  pay obseince to Venkateswara's sacred feet !

Srinivasar is a powerful deity. I had thought that he belonged only to  my subsect . My own my very own .But it is not so .Lord Venkateswara doenot belong only to me but also  to many others of various sects , castes of  hindus  and even to other communities.A universal god !