Devotees throng Perumal temples to offer prayers on ‘Vaikunta Ekadasi’

Trichy/Madurai: The Paramapatha Vaasal of Arulmigu Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam opened on Saturday morning in the presence of a sea of devotees as a part of the ongoing Vaikunta Ekadasi, the temple’s most prominent annual festival. The HR&CE department said that around 1.5 lakh devotees visited the shrine till late evening.Devotees started thronging the temple on Friday night for the annual festival which is being celebrated for 22 days in the pattern of Pagal Pathu (day celebrations for 10 days) and Raa Pathu (night celebrations for 10 days). The opening of Paramapatha Vaasal is the first day of Raa Pathu festivities. Around 3 am, Lord Namperumal, the processional deity of Srirangam temple came out of the sanctum sanctorum via Santhanu mandapam. The procession deity decorated with gem-studded armour, kilimaalai (parrot garland), and Pandian crown proceeded through Rajamahendiran Thirusuttru (corridor), Naazhikettan gateway, and Kulasekaran suttru. All the corridors were packed with devotees. The deity was halted for a while at Vraja Nadhi mandapam where Vedic hymns were recited. Subsequently, amid the chants of ‘Ranga Ranga’ raised by devotees, the Paramapatha Vaasal gate also called Sorgavaasal was opened at 4 am for Namperumal to pass the auspicious gateway. Later, the deity was halted at Thousand Pillar Hall for public darshan. A local holiday was declared for the event.Anticipating a huge crowd, the HR&CE had laid restrictions on crowd management. Around 2,500 police personnel were deployed in the temple. Though devotees in serpentine queues waited for hours on the streets around the temple, police sources claimed that the footfall was lesser than anticipated. “Probably, the recent floods in Chennai and southern Tamil Nadu districts would have prevented a section of devotees from visiting the shrine,” a police officer told TOI.The annual festival commenced with the conduct of the Thirunedunthantakam rituals on December 12. With the conduct of Nammalvar Motcham rituals, Vaikunta Ekadasi is scheduled to conclude on January 2, 2024. Similar celebrations were observed in Sri Varadaraja Perumal temple in Karur and Perumalai Prasanna Venkatachalapathy temple near Thuraiyur.Thousands of devotees gathered at various Perumal temples in Madurai and other South Tamil Nadu districts on Saturday to offer prayers on the occasion of ‘Vaikunta Ekadasi’ and witness the auspicious scene of the opening of the ‘Paramapadha Vaasal’ or ‘Sorga Vaasal’.Meanwhile, ‘Vaikunta Ekadasai’ was celebrated in a grand manner at the Lord Kallazhagar Temple in Alagarkovil, which is one of the 108 Divya Desams of Lord Vishnu. On Saturday morning, loud chants of ‘Govinda’ were heard all around as devotees thronged the temple to witness the presiding deity, Lord Sundararajaperumal, enter the threshold of the ‘Sorga Vaasal’. At 5:10 am, the deity entered the ‘Sorga Vaasal’, and was welcomed by Nammalwar, one of the 12 Alwar saints. Various special pujas were also performed. Similarly, the opening of the ‘Sorga Vaasal’ was also held at the Arulmigu Prasanna Venkatachalapathy Temple in Tallakulam, and the Koodal Alagar Perumal Temple, in Madurai.At the Srivilliputhur Andal Temple in Virudhunagar, known for being the birthplace of ‘Periyalwar’ and ‘Andal’, special pujas were performed from as early as 3 am on Saturday. At 5:50 am, the ‘Sorga Vaasal’ was opened and the deity Periya Perumal, followed by Andal and Rangamannar entered, and were then welcomed by Alwar saints.The officials from the HR and CE department had made elaborate arrangements at major Perumal temples for ‘Vaikunta Ekadasi’. Police also tightened security at all Perumal temples to prevent any untoward incidents.