Hyderabad, December 18: On the occasion of Vaikuntha Ekadasi, various political leaders and bureaucrats including Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governor ESL Narasimhan visited the holy shrine of Lord Venkateswara Swamy on Tuesday. According to the Hindu calendar, this year, Vaikunta Ekadasi and Dwadasi are scheduled to be celebrated on December 18 and 19. A large number of pilgrims thronged the hill temple for Uttara Dwara Darshan. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has made proper arrangements to avoid chaos.

Sheds have also been erected around Tirumala's Mada Streets, Alwar Tank and Narayanagiri Gardens. Tirumala JEO KS Srinivasa Raju told the New Indian Express, “We had provided darshan to nearly 1.7 lakh pilgrims on Vaikunta Ekadasi and Dwadasi in 2017. This year too, arrangements have been made accordingly.” The holy shrine has been opened for pilgrims from 5: 30 am today. The temple will remain open till midnight of December 19. ASI Withdraws its Directive to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams to Include Temples in Protected Monuments List.

This year around two lakh devotees are likely to throng the holy shrine. On December 17, Narasimhan visited the temple and personally took stock of the arrangements being made for the Ekadasi. According to a report published in The Hindu, Narasimhan went round the Narayanagiri gardens where the TTD had erected elephantine temporary sheds. The structures are erected using German technology that provided a protective cover to the pilgrims from all sides. The Governor stayed at the sacred town for two consecutive days.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 18, 2018 10:47 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).