The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) Board of Trustees has decided to open Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam of Lord Venkateswara Temple in Tirumala for 10 days from Vaikunta Ekadashi which falls on December 25th of this year. Till last year, Uttara Dwaram was only opened on Vaikunta Ekadasi and Dwadasi but now, Vaikunta Dwaram will be opened for 10 days.
A Guntur-based devotee, Raghavan K Tallapaka had filed a writ petition in the AP HC in January 2020 stating that TTD should follow the tradition of opening the Vaikunta Dwaram for 10 days a year. The TTD Chairman YV Subba Reddy said that “Following the direction of the high court, the TTD consulted mattadhipathis and peetadhipathis of 26 mutts across the country. After seeking their approval, the board has decided to keep the Vaikunta Dwaram open for 10 days during Vaikunta Ekadashi every year.”
He said the TTD Board also resolved to re-introduce Kalyanamastu, the mass marriage program of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams for poor couples, with a new set of guidelines. YV Subba Reddy further added that “Srivari Kalyanam will also be performed at those locations on the same day, along with mass marriages in every district headquarters. The program will be launched by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, he said.
