Tirumala Darshan: The darshan of Vaikuntha started in Tirumala, the hills of Tirumala echoed with the remembrance of Govinda’s name.

Tirumala Darshan: Vaikuntha Ekadashi darshan has started in Tirumala. The golden gates of the temple were opened with Tiruppavai Pasuras amid chanting of Vedic scholars at the Srivari temple on Thursday night at 12.05 am. At 12.25 pm, the priests performed puja and offerings at the Vaikuntha Dwaram in Tirumala. After this he reached the sanctum sanctorum with the Tomala map. Flowers were offered to Srivari Moolavirattu.

Later Dhanurmas special kainkaryam and daily kainkaryam were performed. Abhishekam, Alankaram, Tomala Archana and Naivedyam were performed on Friday morning and VIP break darshan started at 4.30 am. A day before Vaikuntha Ekadashi, Tirumala is crowded with VIPs. Six devotees died in a stampede in the queue for issuing Sarvadarshanam tokens in Tirupati.

Even till 7 pm on Thursday, traffic in Tirumala was normal. Devotees who received tokens and tickets also reached Tirumala in limited numbers. The devotees are tired as they have to reach Tirumala 48 hours in advance.

The darshan of Vaikuntha, starting from Friday, January 10, will continue till midnight on the 19th of this month. Darshan tokens were issued to the local people at Tirumala till Thursday morning. On Thursday, 1700 tokens were issued from 4.50 am to evening. Keeping in mind the stampede in Tirupati, the police have taken care to prevent any non-locals from coming to the token issuing counter in Tirumala. Tirumala is decorated with electric lights and flower decorations on the occasion of Vaikuntha Ekadashi.