Vaikunta Ekadasi is one of the most auspicious days in the Hindu calendar, particularly for devotees of Lord Vishnu. The event holds immense significance at the Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu.
On the auspicious morning of Vaikuntha Ekadasi, the deity is adorned with grandeur and escorted from the inner sanctum to the thousand-pillared hall. The procession passes through the northern entrance, known as Paramapada Vasal, which signifies the path to Vaikuntha. This sacred gateway is unlocked and opened for all devotees exclusively on Vaikuntha Ekadasi. According to tradition, devotees who walk through this gate are believed to attain Vaikuntha, earning it the title of Swarga Vaasal (Sorgavaasal), or the gateway to heaven.
The HR&CE Department every year collects fee from devotees to issue tickets to this event. This year too, a large number of devotees have been waiting since midnight to attend this holy event, having paid their fees. Since the Sorgvaasal opens at 05:15 AM, devotees will be allowed to enter these mandapams within the Ariyapadal Vasal by 02:00 AM. According to a local news report, many had arrived by 1:30 am, well before the timing mentioned in the passes. They were made to stand in a queue in the Garuda Mandapam area outside the Ariyapadal and were not allowed to enter until 4 AM. Many complained of not being able to have darshan of the Lord and enter the Sorga Vaasal.
A mother who had come with her son lamented saying “Why should we wait at the gate after paying the fee to have darshan of the Lord?”. The enraged devotees got into an argument with the police about not letting them in. They also accused the police of filming them in their mobile phones as if they were criminals.
On the other hand DMK HR&CE Minister PK Sekarbabu had come with his family and had darshan of the lord at Sorgavaasal.
Many returned grumbling about the chaos caused by the Srirangam temple administration in distributing passes to devotees. Meanwhile, the police blocked journalists attempting to enter through the Vellai Gopuram. This led to a heated exchange between the journalists and the police. The police officers persistently spoke disparagingly to the journalists, saying that they cannot enter with this pass issued by the temple administration.
BJP Tamil Nadu K. President slammed the DMK Minister for the abuse of power and the pathetic arrangements made by the administration for the devotees.
“Since the Minister of Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments, Mr. Shekar Babu, came with his family, they prevented the devotees from entering the temple. In particular, Minister Shekar Babu chased away all the devotees and journalists present there. I strongly condemn the abuse of power by Minister Shekar Babu and his family by not allowing devotees to attend a temple function on an auspicious day. There is a limit to everything. Minister Shekar Babu is acting beyond that limit.“, Annamalai said.
“I would like to remind the minister of the proverb that even if you smear oil on your body and roll in the dirt, only what sticks will stick. It is pitiful to see a minister who, on a holy day, behaves in a way that earns the hatred, anger, and curses of all the devotees in the presence of the Lord, believing that Lord Ranganatha will grant him blessings.“, he further added.
நேற்றைய தினம் அதிகாலை, ஸ்ரீரங்கம் ரங்கநாதர் திருக்கோவிலில், வைகுண்ட ஏகாதசி விழாவின், பரமபதவாசல் திறப்பு நடைபெற்றது. மிகவும் பிரசித்தி பெற்ற இந்த நிகழ்வுக்காக, ஆண்டுதோறும் கோவிலுக்குள் சென்று சொர்க்கவாசல் கடக்கவும், சுவாமி தரிசனம் செய்யவும் பக்தர்களிடம் இருந்து கட்டணம் வசூலித்து…
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) January 11, 2025
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