The Hindu : Front Page : ‘Vaikunta Ekadasi’ rituals on website

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Sunday, Jan 04, 2009
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‘Vaikunta Ekadasi’ rituals on website

Staff Reporter

Closed circuit television sets installed in Srirangam temple for smooth conduct of the festival

— Photo: R. Ashok

NEW AMENITY: A new transformer, which has been installed near the Srirangam temple.

TIRUCHI: The Ranganathaswamy temple management will upload ‘Mohini Alankaram’ and the ‘Vaikunta Ekadasi’ for real-time viewing on the website ( www.srirangam.org).

‘Mohini Alankaram,’ also known as ‘Nachiar Tirukkolam,’ falls on January 6, when two important sessions will be uploaded. In the morning, the rituals will last for one-and-a-half hours, starting with the Namperumal ‘purapadu’ from the sanctum sanctorum at 6 a.m.

In the evening, the uploading will last for two hours, beginning with the ‘purapadu’ of Namperumal from the Arjuna Mandapam at 5 p.m. and reaching the Garuda Mandapam through Tirukottarapraharam, Executive Officer M. Kavitha told The Hindu here on Saturday. On January 7, the rituals of ‘Vaikunta Ekadasi,’ signifying the opening of the ‘Paramapada Vasal,’ would be uploaded at 5 a.m.

Closed circuit television sets had been installed in the temple for ensuring smooth conduct of the festival. Additional toilets had also been provided. Steps had been taken to supply water to the devotees at various places in the temple.

With the ‘Pagalpathu’ under way, a large number of devotees from different parts of the country have been visiting the temple. Various departments and agencies have joined hands for the smooth conduct of the festival, putting up their stalls on the temple premises and providing assistance and guidance to the needy.

Southern Railway has set up a special reservation counter for devotees to book tickets. The Tourism Department has opened a stall to provide information about the tourism centres in south India in general and Tamil Nadu in particular.

The Tiruchi Corporation has deployed a number of sanitary assistants both in and outside the temple for proper maintenance of public conveniences, and for clearing the garbage.

The festival has come in handy for Srirangam residents to get their needs fulfilled.

The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board has erected a transformer near the ‘Renga Renga gopuram’ for stabilising the supply to residents and shops.

Till now, they were drawing power from the transformer near the ‘Vellai Gopuram.’ “Being the tail-end area, the consumers in and around the ‘Renga Renga gopuram’ at times could not get quality supply. Hence, the need for the new transformer,” a TNEB official said.

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