‘Sorgavaasal’ opening draws lakhs of devotees to Srirangam temple

Trichy: A tide of devotees swept through the Arulmigu Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam in the early hours of Tuesday as the ‘paramapatha vaasal', also known as ‘sorgavaasal', was opened amid chants of "Govinda Govinda".Officials said around two lakh devotees visited the temple till evening. Devotees began coming to the temple from Monday night for the annual festival, which was celebrated over 22 days. Around 4.30am, Lord Namperumal, the processional deity of the Srirangam temple, was taken out in a holy procession through the Rajamahendiran thirusuttru (corridor), Naazhikettan gateway, and Kulasekaran suttru, where hundreds of devotees were waiting to catch a glimpse of the deity. Namperumal was adorned with gem-studded armour, kilimaalai (parrot garland), and the Pandian crown. The deity was halted briefly at the Vraja Nadhi Mandapam, where hymns were recited. Subsequently, amid devotional chants, the paramapatha vaasal was opened at 5.45am for Namperumal to pass through the gateway. Later, the deity was placed at the Thousand Pillar Mandapam for public darshan for the day.HR&CE minister P K Sekar Babu, along with other HR&CE officials and senior district officials, was present during the opening of the sorgavaasal. The minister distributed "Thirupaavai", a book, to devotees. Around 3,000 police personnel were engaged in security duty at the temple. R Vigneshwaran, a devotee from Samayapuram, said the crowds were managed better this time.