Srirangam fixes Vaikuṇṭha Ekādaśī dates: Paramapada Vāsal to open on 20 December
The muhūrtakkāl, a sacred wooden pole, was planted near the thousand-pillar maṇḍapam on Friday, formally starting preparations for the 22-day festival.
- The Hindu
The 22-day Vaikuṇṭha Ekādaśī festival at the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam will begin on 9 December with the Tirunedunthāṇḍakam, The Hindu reported. The festival is divided into the Pagal Pattu (ten days) and the Irā Pattu (ten nights).
The Pagal Pattu begins on 10 December. The highlight, the opening of the Paramapada Vāsal in the early hours of 20 December, the Ekādaśī day, is expected to draw large crowds of devotees to worship the processional deity, Namperumāḷ.
The Irā Pattu begins the same day. The Tirumaṅgai Mannan Vedupari event will be held on the temple premises on 27 December.
The festival will close with the Nammāḻvār Mokṣam on 30 December. On Friday morning, the temple held the Muhūrtakkāl Naduthal, the installation of a sacred wooden pole, near the thousand-pillar maṇḍapam inside the temple complex.
The ceremony marks the formal start of preparations. The Hindu said the temple authorities, the Tiruchi City Corporation and the Tiruchi City police would make elaborate arrangements ahead of the festival.
Key data
Festival 9 to 30 Dec (22 days). Pagal Pattu from 10 Dec; Paramapada Vāsal opening and Irā Pattu from 20 Dec; Vedupari 27 Dec; Nammāḻvār Mokṣam 30 Dec.
Why it matters
Vaikuṇṭha Ekādaśī at Srirangam is the largest annual gathering of the Śrīvaiṣṇava tradition, and fixed dates let pilgrims from across India and the diaspora plan their darśana of the gateway to Vaikuṇṭha.
GK: did you know?
Srirangam is counted first among the 108 Divya Deśams, the Viṣṇu shrines praised in the hymns of the Āḻvārs collected in the Nālāyira Divya Prabandham.
