‘Vaikunta Ekadasi’ draws huge turnout of devotees at Srirangam temple

The temple town of Srirangam was charged with religious fervour and spiritual zeal as thousands of devotees thronged the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, the foremost among the 108 Divya Desams, on the auspicious occasion of ‘Vaikunta Ekadasi’ on Tuesday (December 30, 2025).

The illuminated and decorated, sprawling temple corridors reverberated with chants of “Govinda Govinda” and “Renga Renga” as a huge turnout of devotees waited patiently in queues to offer worship to Lord Ranganatha and the processional deity, Sri Namperumal.

The high point of the 22-day annual Vaikunta Ekadasi festival, which commenced on December 19 in the Tamil month of ‘Maargazhi’, was the opening of the ‘Paramapadha Vaasal’, through which the processional deity passed in the early hours.

The rituals connected with ‘Vaikunta Ekadasi’ commenced in the early hours, and the processional deity, Sri Namperumal, clad in gem-studded armour and garlands, was taken in a holy procession at around 4.30 a.m. The deity was taken slowly through the ‘Raja Mahendran Thiruchutru’ and the ‘Kulasekaran Thiruchutru’ before reaching the ‘Vraja Nadi Mandapam’.

The entire processional route and the ‘Vraja Nadhi Mandapam’ were decorated with flowers. Vedic hymns were recited at the ‘Vraja Nadhi Mandapam’, after which the deity slowly proceeded towards the ‘Paramapadha Vaasal’, which was also decked up. As the ‘Paramapadha Vaasal’ was opened, chants of “Govinda Govinda” and “Renga Renga” filled the air, and the processional deity passed through it at around 5.45 a.m., with devotees following.

The processional deity was taken to the ‘Manal Veli’, where a large number of devotees had assembled in the early hours to catch a glimpse of Sri Namperumal. Thereafter, the deity was taken to the ‘Thirumamani Asthana Mandapam’ inside the thousand-pillar mandapam, where the devotees worshipped the Lord through the day.

Several devotees had lined up outside the temple complex from Monday night, braving the chilly weather, to offer worship to Lord Ranganatha and Sri Namperumal. Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister P.K. Sekar Babu and senior department officials were present on the holy occasion.

A huge posse of police personnel was deployed inside and outside the temple in view of the festival, which is split into ‘Pagal Pathu’ and ‘Ra Pathu’. The ‘Ra Pathu’ begins on Tuesday. The grand festival concludes with the ‘Nammazhar Moksham’ on January 8.