Temple Traditions: Eclipse Closes Doors, Rituals Reopen Them

The Sri Venkateswara temple at Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh closed its doors to devotees for over 10 hours due to the lunar eclipse, only reopening after performing purification rituals. The TTD official confirmed the temple reopened to visitors after conducting Suddhi and other purificatory ceremonies.

The lunar eclipse, occurring from 3:20 pm to 6:47 pm, prompted temple officials to close the doors nearly six hours in advance, following established tradition. After the rituals, darshan resumed at 8:30 pm, allowing devotees to return to the sacred premises.

In addition to the Sri Venkateswara temple, other temples managed by the TTD, such as the Sri Govindaraja Swamy in Tirupati, also adhered to similar eclipse-related closures. Rituals were completed at several temples including Sri Suryanarayana Swamy and Sri Srinivasa Temple. Various sevas and special entry darshans were suspended during the closure.