The Vaikunta Dwaram of the Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala will remain open for devotees from January 10 to January 19. | Photo Credit: File Photo

Online tickets for Tirumala Vaikunta Dwara Darshan to be released on December 23

Slotted Sarva Darshan tokens will be available at Kousthubham Guesthouse in Tirumala and eight designated counters in Tirupati

by · The Hindu

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has announced that online tickets for the Vaikunta Dwara Darshan at the Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala will be available for booking from 11 a.m. on December 23, while the ₹300 Special Entry Darshan (SED) tickets will be available online from 11 a.m. on December 24.

The Slotted Sarva Darshan (SSD) tokens, widely availed of by the common pilgrims, will be distributed at Kousthubham Guesthouse in Tirumala and eight designated counters in Tirupati.

The auspicious Vaikunta Ekadasi will be celebrated at the Tirumala temple on January 10, 2025 and the Vaikunta Dwaram, the inner-most passage encircling the sanctum sanctorum, will remain open for devotees from January 10 to January 19.

The arrangements for the festival were finalised during a review meeting chaired by TTD Executive Officer J. Shyamala Rao and Additional Executive Officer Ch. Venkaiah Chowdary at Annamaiah Bhavan in Tirumala on December 17 (Tuesday).

It was decided in the meeting that only the devotees with valid darshan tickets would be permitted for the darshan. However, individuals without tokens can visit the temple town, but will not be allowed for darshan.

VIP protocol darshan

For the VIPs, the protocol darshan will begin at 4:45 a.m. on the Vaikunta Ekadasi day (January 10), followed by the grand procession of the golden chariot between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.

The Chakrasnanam rituals will be performed at the temple pond between 5.30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. on the Dwadasi day (January 11).

To cater to the needs of the devotees, Annadanam (free food distribution) will be provided uninterruptedly from 6 a.m. to 12 midnight during the festival. The TTD decided to maintain a buffer stock of 3.5 lakh laddus to meet the demand.

Lakhs of devotees from across the country throng the hill shrine during the festival for the auspicious Vaikunta Dwara Darshan.

Published - December 17, 2024 08:44 pm IST