Yesterday was Vaikunta ekadasi. The number of devotees thronging to temples on this day has been increasing every year. Drive round the city on this day and you will find long lines that flow on to the streets. In a temple in Padmanabhanagar we found the line had extended across two streets.
Some temples like the Devagiri in Banashankari have erected barricades to channel the people in an orderly manner.
Every temple prepares prasad, pongal, puliogare or laddu, that it distributes free of cost to all devotes who come for darshan. For most young this is the purpose of the entire experience.
Women in silks, with jasmine strings in their hair, escort the elderly and the young at home to this darshan.
On this day a special doorway is decorated with flower garlands. It is thrown open with chanting of mantras and shlokas at an auspicious moment.
This is the Vaikunta dwara.
it represents the gate to heaven.
The presiding deity, Lord Venkateshwara is also in finery. the idol is decorated with flowers, leaves, jewellery and silk clothes. the devoted are atleast for a moment lost in trance...in the beauty of the lord. believe me the sight can be mesmerising.
Devotees wait for hours in the line to get a darshan of the lord and then pass through the specially created vaikunta dwara. The devotees believe that passing through this doorway will ensure an easy entrance into heaven when the need arises. (but of course...no one is in a hurry to test this!!)
It is amazing how the entire city of Bangalore seems to be converging to some temple near by. Faith moves mountains...and rivers of people.
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This time vaikunta ekadasi falls on Friday Dec 17th. that also happens to be Last day of Muharram.
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still remember those long queues! am sure they are longer now! but am ready to do it again - just for the yummy puliyogre !!! :)
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