Paramapada Vasal in Sri Parthasarathy Temple open for Vaikunda Ekadasi festival

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], December 30 (ANI): The Paramapada Vasal, the sacred 'heavenly gate' symbolising the northern entrance to Lord Vishnu's abode, opened at Sri Parthasarathy Temple in Triplicane for the annual Vaikunth Ekadasi celebrations on Tuesday.
On the occasion of Vaikunth Ekadashi, the Paramapada Vasal, also known as Sorgavasal, was opened at several temples across the state. The opening of the heavenly gate at the Cuddalore Devanatha Swamy Temple drew a large gathering of devotees. Similarly, in Srirangam, the historic temple town in Tiruchirappalli, the Paramapada Vasal was opened, with lakhs of devotees thronging the temple for darshan.
It is believed that devotees who pass through the Paramapada Vasal on Vaikunth Ekadasi attain Vaikuntha (heaven).
To mark the occasion, Madurai also witnessed the opening of the Paramapada Vasal at the Sri Prasanna Venkatachalapathy Temple in Tallakulam for the Vaikunda Ekadasi celebrations. Meanwhile, in Telangana, devotees gathered at the Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Hyderabad's Himayat Nagar to observe the festival.
The opening of the Paramapada Vasal, also known as Sorgavasal or Vaikunth Dwaram, is an annual ritual observed during the 22nd day of the Vaikuntha Ekadashi festival, usually falling in the Tamil month of Margazhi, corresponding to December or January.
Devotees believe that passing through this "gate of heaven" on this auspicious day absolves them of sins and helps them attain moksha, or liberation.
On December 3, thousands of devotees thronged the Arunachaleswarar Temple early morning on the 10th day of the Karthigai Deepam festival.
Visuals from the temple showed large crowds, devotees singing Lord Shiva hymns, police presence,organised crowd management to ensure smooth movement for worshippers.
During the festival, the Thoothukudi city market in Tamil Nadu saw brisk activity from early hours, with large quantities of agricultural produce arriving for sale. Essential items for the festival, including banana stems, banana leaves, coconuts, lemons, palm leaves used for making kozhukattai, and Karthigai earthen lamps, were brought in from various parts of the region to meet the heightened demand. (ANI)