Vaikunda Ekadasi: Rituals begin at Srirangam temple

On day one of the ‘pagal pathu’ utsavam, Namperumal was carried on a gold palanquin around 7 am to the Arjuna Mandapam, where special poojas were conducted till 8.15 am amid the recital of vedic hymns. Namperumal was carried back to the sanctum sanctorum later in the evening around 10 pm.

In view of the celebrations, which normally attract several lakh devotees from across the state, elaborate arrangements were carried out. The arrangements were monitored by the temple trustee Venu Srinivasan and Joint Director (HR&CE department) Jayaraman.

Meanwhile, a strong posse of around 4,000 police personnel drawn from various districts will be deployed to man the crowd.

The police have erected watchtowers at vital points and are in the process of setting up barricades around the temple.