Vaikunta Dwaram
Vaikunta Dwaram is located on the left side of the Main shrine and faces east. This door is opened only on the Day of Vaikunta Ekadasi and Dwadasi i.e. only on two days a year.
This Dwaram does not have any special gopuram of its own and is also devoid of any elaborate decorations etc. But the entry into the main shrine through this entry (and not the Bangaru Vakili) is considered one of the most revered and auspicious achievements for all devotees.
As legend put it entry through the door is said to bring some extraordinary blessings of the Lord Venkateswara which were normally meant for the Gods who live in Vaikuntam.
Vaikunta Ekadasi
At Tirumala, Vaikunta Ekadasi has always been a special occasion for the visiting devotees and it is a feast to the eyes and solace to the soul. In recent times, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) management decided to observe the event as a ten-day festival by throwing open the ‘Vaikunta Dwaram’ to the visiting pilgrims for ten days.
This is followed by a procession of Sri Malayappa Swamy’s deity on the golden chariot and the conduct of ‘Chakra Snanam’ on Vaikunta Dwadasi.
Since this event is a celestial spectacle, lakhs of devotees plan to visit Tirumala on this occasion, but only some of them get the opportunity to pass through the ‘Vaikunta Dwaram’ on this day. Devotees who could not make it to Tirumala for the auspicious day in the past were a disappointed lot.
Now, several thousands of pilgrims get the satisfaction of walking through the ‘Uttara Dwaram’ and praying to the Lord of Seven Hills for salvation, due to the decision of the authorities to keep the northern entrance open for ten days.
It is a devotional bliss to enter the ‘Vaikunta Dwaram’ and pass through the inner precincts around the sanctum sanctorum, which is believed to rid a person of all sins of the past and provide salvation. On this special occasion, the ‘Praakaaram’ is tastefully decorated with rare and exotic flowers of multiple colours, which look like heaven.
Devotees get the mesmerising experience of passing through the original ‘Vaikuntam’ while walking on this path.
May Lord Venkateswara grant liberation of the worldly shackles to all the devotees worshipping Him on this most auspicious occasion.
