Tirupati:
The Navaratri Brahmotsavam festivals of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala near Tirupati began on Saturday with hoisting of sacred 'Garuda flag' by high priests, amid chanting hymns, atop the golden 'Dwajasthambham' (holy mast) inside the temple.
Observing a four-decade old practise, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kirankumar Reddy handed over a pair of new silk cloths to the priests for the use of the Lord.
Temple sources said that Brahmotsavam is celebrated at the hill shrine since last one thousand years with religious fervour and zeal.