TIRUCHY: About 1.5 lakh devotees descended on the Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam of the district to witness the ceremonial procession of Lord Namperumal through the ‘paramapada vaasal’ or ‘sorgavaasal’ gate as part of the ongoing Vaikunta Ekadasi festival in the early hours of Friday.
Marking the first day of the ‘raa pathu’ rituals of the 22-day-long festival, the opening of the ‘paramapada vaasal’ saw the deity clad in a gem-studded armour, Pandiyan crown and ‘kili maalai’ leaving the sanctum sanctorum and passing through the ‘heaven's gate’ during the auspicious Dhanu Lagna around 5.15 am. As the deity passed through, devotees chanted, “Renga, Renga”. Later, the deity blessed a public darshan at the ‘Aayiram kaal mandapam’ (thousand pillar hall).
K Arjun of Chennai, who said he has been attending the event for the past many years, added, "Each year brings with it a unique experience. It fills my heart with happiness and hope."
After witnessing the event, HR&CE Minister Sekar Babu in an interaction with media persons said, "The opening of the sorgavaasal at Srirangam, the first of the 108 ‘divya desams’, took place amid shouts of joy and celebrations. Special arrangements were made for the devotees to see the deity come out through the sorgavaasal. The chief minister ensured hygienic potable water supply and toilet facilities for the devotees. Further, all departments worked together with the police to make sure everything went smooth."
Meanwhile, a team of over 2,500 police personnel, led 11 SPs and 22 DSPs, ensured crowd management at the temple on Friday. “We are closely monitoring the crowd and are well-equipped to handle any situation. Expecting a large number of devotees, we put in place effective traffic management and crowd control measures to facilitate a memorable experience for the devotees," a senior police official said. The festival, which commenced with the ‘thirunedunthandakam’ on December 30, 2024, will conclude on January 20, 2025 with the ‘Nammalvar motcham’ rituals.
