Float Festival is the boat festival annually held at Tirupati Balaji Temple.
The processional deity of Sri Venkateswara in various guises seated on a boat
takes ride in the holy waters of Swami Pushkarini for five days. The
annual Float Festival at Tirumala is scheduled to take place from March 18 to March 22, 2027. Also known as ‘Boat Festival’ or ‘Teppotsavam’, it is one of the
important annual festivals being performed in Tirumala Balaji Temple.
It is celebrated for five consecutive days in the evenings at around 6 pm
with religious fervour.
The processional deities are taken in a boat (Teppam),
in the temple tank, together with chanting of hymns and the playing
of nadhaswaram.
On the first day, the processional deity in the form of
Sri Rama takes the boat ride along with Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman.
On the second day, Lord as Sri Krishna takes ride along
with Goddess Rukmini.
On the last three days, Sri Malayappa Swami (Balaji) flanked
by his two consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi move in the sacred waters of the Temple Lake.
The day is from Phalgun Shukla Paksha Ekadashi to Purnima tithi.
The festival is annually held from the Phalgun Shukla Paksha Ekadasi to Purnima in traditional Hindu calendars followed in Andhra Pradesh.