Tirupati, Sep 7: The doors of the famous Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple atop Tirumala and several major temples across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were closed on Sunday due to the lunar eclipse.
Priests at the temples performed rituals before shutting the doors, which will reopen early Monday after purification ceremonies. The lunar eclipse begins at 9:50 p.m. on Sunday and ends at 1:31 a.m. on Monday.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which administers the hill shrine, announced that the doors of the temple were closed at 3:30 p.m. in keeping with traditional practice. TTD Trust Board Chairman B.R. Naidu said the sanctum doors would reopen after Suddhi and other rituals at 3 a.m. on September 8. Devotee darshan will resume at 6 a.m.
TTD Additional Executive Officer Venkaiah Chowdary assured that all devotees waiting in compartments were provided darshan before closure without inconvenience. Meanwhile, the Annaprasadam wing of TTD prepared 50,000 Pulihora packets to distribute to devotees, as the main Annaprasadam complex, Vakulamata, PAC 2, and Vaikuntham canteens remained shut due to the eclipse. Regular Annaprasadam distribution will resume from 8 a.m. on Monday.
Arjita sevas, including Unjal Seva, Arjitha Brahmotsavam, and Sahasra Deepalankara Seva, were cancelled on Sunday.
Other major shrines across the Telugu states also remained closed, including the Mallikarjuna Temple at Srisailam, Kodandarama Temple at Vontimitta, Sri Seetha Ramachandra Swamy Temple in Bhadrachalam, Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple at Yadadri, Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple at Simhachalam, and the Kanaka Durga Temple at Vijayawada.
The Sri Suryanarayana Swami Temple at Arasavalli in Andhra Pradesh, Saraswati Temple at Basar, and Sri Raja Rajeswari Temple at Vemulawada in Telangana were also closed.
Temples traditionally suspend darshan and sevas during solar and lunar eclipses, reopening only after purification rituals.
