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Temples in Telugu States Close Doors for Lunar Eclipse Rituals

Major temples across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, including the iconic Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala, were closed on Tuesday due to a partial lunar eclipse. Temple authorities performed closing rituals and cancelled all scheduled darshans and sevas for the duration of the eclipse. The temples are scheduled to reopen in the evening after conducting prescribed purification ceremonies. This practice is a common tradition observed during both solar and lunar eclipses.

Key Points: Temples in Andhra, Telangana Close for Lunar Eclipse

  • Temples closed for eclipse
  • Purification rituals performed
  • Darshan & sevas cancelled
  • Reopening after 8:30 PM
2 min read

All major temples in Telugu states closed due to lunar eclipse

Major temples including Tirumala, Srisailam, and Simhachalam closed for rituals during the partial lunar eclipse. Darshan resumes after purification.

"The temple doors will reopen at 7.30 p.m., after performing purification rituals - TTD"

Tirupati, March 3

The doors of Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple atop Tirumala near here and all major temples in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were closed on Tuesday due to lunar eclipse.

The priests closed the doors of the temples after performing rituals. They will be re-opened after the eclipse comes to an end and following purification rituals.

The lunar eclipse will commence at 3.20 p.m. and conclude at 6.47 p.m. on Tuesday. As per tradition, the doors of Tirumala temple were shut six hours prior to the commencement of the eclipse.

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which administers the famous hill shrine, said the temple doors will reopen at 7.30 p.m., after performing purification rituals (Suddhi), Punyahavachanam, and other prescribed religious procedures,

Darshan for devotees will resume from 8:30 p.m. onwards.

The temple authorities have cancelled Arjitha Sevas and VIP Break Darshans for the day.

Other temples administered by TTD in Tirupati and surrounding areas have also been closed.

At Tiruchanoor, Sri Padmavathi Ammavari Temple, Sri Suryanarayana Swamy Temple and Sri Srinivasa Temple were shut on account of lunar eclipse.

Other major temples in both the Telugu states were also shut on account of lunar eclipse.

Mallikarjuna Temple in Srisailam, Kodandarama Temple at Vontimitta, Sri Seetha Ramachandra Swamy Temple in Bhadrachalam, Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple at Yadadri and Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Temple at Simhachalam were also closed.

In Vijayawada, the doors of the Kanaka Durga Temple on the Indrakeeladri Hills along with the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy temple were closed by the priests and officials of the temple board on account of the partial lunar eclipse.

It's common for the temples to shut the doors during solar and lunar eclipse. The authorities cancel darshan and all sevas and reopen the temples evening after purification.

Sri Suryanarayana Swami Temple, also known as sun temple at Arasavalli in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh was also closed due to lunar eclipse.

Saraswati temple at Basar and Sri Raja Rajeswari temple at Vemulawada was also shut.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Respect the tradition, but in today's time, maybe the closure period could be shorter? Six hours before the eclipse seems very long. Many people plan trips for months to visit Tirumala. A little flexibility while keeping the rituals sacred would be helpful 🙏
A
Arjun K
Completely correct procedure. Grahana (eclipse) is a significant astronomical event with spiritual implications. The purification (Suddhi) rituals afterwards are essential. The TTD is doing the right thing by following the agama sastras. Jai Balaji!
S
Sarah B
Interesting to read about this practice. It shows a deep connection between temple rituals and celestial events. The coordination required to close and reopen so many major temples across two states must be immense.
V
Vikram M
The article mentions even the Sun Temple at Arasavalli was closed for a lunar eclipse. That's attention to detail! It's not just about one deity, but the sanctity of all temple spaces during such times. Our ancestors were very scientific in their approach.
K
Kavya N
Hope the temple authorities used their apps and websites to send out alerts to devotees. In the digital age, communication is key. No one should have a wasted journey. Otherwise, tradition is perfect 👍

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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