Grandeur and piety mark twin cities' Vaikunta Ekadashi

HUBBALLI: The auspicious occasion of Nammalvar - one of the twelve azhwar saints of Tamil Nadu - entering the Kingdom of God, Vaikunta, was celebrated in the twin cities on Thursday.
The Iskcon temple here was bustling with activities all through the day. Devotees lined up to have a darshan of the Lord. Celebrations started as early as 4.30am, with a grand maha mangalarati of statues of Krishna-Balaram in the presence of hundreds of devotees.Lord Krishna adorned as Vaikunta Narayana, gave his magnificent darshan at 7.30am. This was followed by bhajans and kirtans glorifying the Lord till 8:30am. Devotees sang and danced gracefully in front of the deities.
A specially-erected gold painted Vaikunta Dwara was opened in the presence of Rajiv Lochan Dasa, president of Iskcon, Hubballi-Dharwad, and other devotees.
A special deity of Srinivas Govinda, made out of mud especially for this occasion, was installed for darshan at a visesha mandapa. The deity was decorated with jewels and fresh flowers to resemble Tirupati Balaji. Laksharchana Seva - the chanting of 1 lakh names of the Lord - was offered to the deity throughout the day. All visitors to the temple were given an opportunity to personally offer flowers to the kalashas, aesthetically arranged in front of the visesha mantapa.
Seeking the blessings of Lord Srinivasa and praying for world peace and harmony, a grand Venkateswara homa was performed in the Vanamali Lawns.
The evening saw artistes of Hubballi-Dharwad coming together to glorify the Lord. A Hindustani vocal rendition of Dasara Pada was performed by Y Kashanna and his team as well as Maya Chikkerur and team. Vidushi Sahana Bhat and group presented a dance drama - Srinivasa Kalyanam.