Devotees throng Vaishnavite temples

Hyderabad: On the occasion of Vaikunta Ekadasi on Monday, devout Hindus, including politicians, thronged Sri Venkateshwara Swamy temples from the early hours in Hyderabad at Himayatnagar, Chikkadpally,

Ranganatha Swamy temple at Ziaguda, Lakshmi-Narasimha Swamy temple at Yadadri (Yadagirigutta), Bhadrakali and other temples in Warangal, Vemulawada, Dharmapuri, Kaleshwaram and Kondagattu in Karimnagar district, Bhadrachalam in Khammam and Medak's Kodanda Ramalayam in large numbers. The temples organised special pujas on the occasion.

The temple of Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy in Yadagirigutta in Nalgonda district attracted thousands of devotees from various districts. The temple authorities made adequate arrangements for the people to have hassle-free darshan of the Lord. They were allowed into the sanctum sanctorum from the northern gate of the temple

Arrangements for “Athi Seegra darshan” (very fast darshan) were made in phases from 6.49 am to 7.30 am, from 9 am to 10 am, 11 am to 12 noon and 3 pm to 4 pm. The devotees were let into the temple from the Rajagopuram side. The temple officials made special arrangements for the pilgrims keeping in view the expected heavy rush. Six counters were opened at the temple for sale of Swamivari laddu prasadam. The temple authorities stopped entry of four-wheelers on the ghat road. However, the TSRTC plied special bus services.

In Khammam district, Vaikunta Ekadasi celebrations in Sri Rama temple at Bhadrachalam were held on a grand scale on Monday. The holy Bhadradri was reverberated with chanting of “Jai Sri Rama”. The devotees were allowed to have darshan of Sri Rama-Sita-Lakshmana from the northern gate of the temple. Later, the presiding deities were taken in a procession on the occasion.

A large number of devotees converged on the temple premises in the wee hours of the day. The flower bedecked Uttara Dwaram was thrown open to the devotees amid Vedic chants before the break of dawn. The devotees burst into spiritual ecstasy and vied with each other to catch a glimpse of the processional deities of Lord Rama, his consort Sita and brother Lakshmana.

Several ardent devotees made extensive use of their smartphones to capture the grand holy event. Chaturveda Vinnapalu, Ashtothara Shatha Namarchana, Mangala Nirajanam, Tirunama Sankeertanam and various other religious rituals and devotional programmes marked the occasion.

Similarly, thousands of devotees thronged the temple of Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy in Vemulawada town in Karimnagar district to have darshan of the presiding deities on account of the sacred Mukkoti Ekadasi on Monday. After Suprabhatam and Prathakala pujas, the presiding deities were taken in a procession on a palanquin on the occasion.

In Warangal district, all the temples were thronged by devotees on Monday. Devotees performed special pujas in the Thousand Pillar Temple at Hanamkonda. Hundreds of devotees made a beeline to the temple since the early hours to have a darshan of the Lord.