1000s Attend 'Vaikunta Ekadasi' festival

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Devotees congregate temple for 'Vaikunta Ekadasi' festival

Srirangam, Tamil Nadu,UNI:

 

Thousands of devotees from various parts of the country today gathered

at the historic Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple, here to have the darshan

of ''Lord Namperumal'', the festive deity adorned with the famous

''Mohini Alankaram'' also called as ''Nachiyar Thirukkolam'', as part

of the ongoing 21-day ''Vaikunta Ekadasi'' festival.

 

The Mohini Alankaram was presented once in every year during the

Vaikunda Ekadasi festival to commemorate Lord Vishnu's manifestation

as a ''bewitching maiden'' (Mohini) to lure away the Asuras from the

Amirt (Nectar) produced during the churning of the Milk Ocean.

 

Lord Namperumal, attired in Mohini Alankaram, was taken out in a

procession from the sanctum sanctorum amidst chanting of Vedic hymns

at 0600 hrs this morning and arrived at the Arjuna Mandapam for public

darshan. The deity will be again taken to sanctum sanctorum at 2100

hrs, today.

 

The temple administration has made elaborate arrangements in view of

the Mohini Alankaram, which usually attracts huge crowd during the

festival season.

 

The Vaikunda Ekadasi falls tomorrow, in which the deity Namperumal,

attired in ''Rathina Angi'' (dress made of Rubies and precious

stones), would be taken out of the sanctum sanctorum during the small

hours and pass through the ''Paramapada Vaasal'' (gateway to Heaven)

followed by thousands of devotees.

 

Anticipating a huge crowd of devotees at the temple tomorrow, police

have made elaborate arrangements in and around the temple complex.

Over 1000 policemen were deployed for the security purposes.

Anti-sabotage teams had been deployed at the South, East and North

gates of the temple with door frame metal detectors to screen the

devotees.

 

The district administration has declared a local holiday tomorrow, in

view of the festival.

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