The New Year celebrations culminated with a visit to temples to mark Vaikunta Ekadashi, which is one of the most auspicious days in the Hindu calendar, on Thursday.
It is a belief that the gates of heavens open on this day and hence the rush to temples for a darshan of Lord Vishnu or Venkateshwara.
The Yoga Narasimhaswamy Temple at Vijayanagar drew a huge crowd. The ‘Vaikunta Dwara’ was open at 4 a.m. for the public to get darshan of the deity. The temple authorities had prepared two lakh ladoos for distribution. After elaborate rituals and worship, the ladoos were distributed by Bhashyam swami. The devotees also received ‘puliyogare’ as prasada.
Sri Lakshmi Venkatramanaswamy Temple at Vontikoppal on K.R.S. Road was spruced up for the occasion. A long queue waited from dawn to get a glimpse of the deity. Special rituals and prayers commenced at the crack of dawn.
Though it is customary to visit temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu or Sri Venkateshwara, other temples in the city too drew large crowds.
The Chamundi Hills, which is popular among tourists and locals, witnessed large crowds throughout the day.
The Venkateshwara Temple at Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Ashram, the Maruti Temple, and the Sriranganathaswamy temple at Srirangapatana in Mandya also witnessed huge crowds.
