Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan offered prayers at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirumala on Monday evening, following the traditional order of shrines at the hill temple town.

He began with the Varaha Swamy shrine, observing the temple’s kshetra tradition before moving on to the main Venkateswara shrine. Temple officials gave him a formal welcome at the Srivari temple, led by TTD Executive Officer Muddada Ravichandra, Additional EO C.H. Venkaiah Chowdary and CVSO Murali Krishna.

The archaka team received him with Istikaphal, the traditional temple honour reserved for distinguished guests. Before stepping into the sanctum, the Vice President bowed before the dhwajastambham, the sacred flagstaff that stands in front of the shrine.

Inside, he had darshan of Sri Venkateswara Swamy and then visited several other shrines within the temple complex. These included Sri Vakulamata, Vimana Venkateswara Swamy, the Bhashyakarla sannidhi and Yoga Narasimha Swamy. Each stop followed the customary sequence that devotees and dignitaries alike observe during a darshan at Tirumala.

At Ranganayakula Mandapam, Vedic scholars performed the Vedasirvachanam, a ritual blessing recited by priests. The report describes this as one of the key moments of the visit, and it marked the spiritual center of his time on the hill.

Vedic scholars bestowed Vedasirvachanam blessings on the Vice President at Ranganayakula Mandapam.

Afterward, TTD’s Executive Officer and Additional EO presented him with a framed picture of the presiding deity and tirtha prasadam, the sacred water and offerings given to devotees after worship. It is a standard gesture for honoured visitors, and it closed the formal part of the programme inside the temple.

He did not leave without one more stop. Radhakrishnan also visited the Bedi Anjaneya Swamy shrine, which sits directly opposite the main Srivari temple, before concluding his visit.

The visit carries a clear regional thread. Tirumala sits in Andhra Pradesh, and the officials who received the Vice President were largely from the state and district administration. District in-charge minister Anagani Satya Prasad, TTD board members Ramamurthy and Divakar Reddy, and Tirupati MLA Arani Srinivasulu were all present, along with several state and district-level officials. Their presence shows how closely the state government and the temple trust coordinate when a national constitutional figure comes to the hill.

High-profile visits to Tirumala have a way of drawing attention well beyond the temple gates. The Sri Venkateswara temple attracts millions of devotees from across India every year, so when a Vice President walks the same corridors, the moment quickly becomes a talking point for pilgrims, local residents and followers far from Tirupati. The report gives no indication of any statement or public address by the Vice President during the visit. What it does show is a carefully staged, traditional darshan, with every step following the temple’s own rules.

For devotees planning their own trip, the sequence is worth noting. The day began with the outer shrines, moved through the main temple and its surrounding sannidhis, and ended at the Anjaneya shrine across the way. It is a reminder that a Tirumala darshan is more than a single visit to the main deity. It is a circuit of shrines, each with its own rituals, and the Vice President’s schedule followed that circuit closely from start to finish.