Tirumala temple to remain closed for 10 hours on March 3 due to lunar eclipse

The Tirumala temple will remain closed to devotees for over 10 hours on March 3 due to a lunar eclipse. Darshan will resume at 8.30 p.m. after purification rituals, while several sevas have been cancelled, TTD said.

Tirupati: The Tirumala temple of Lord Venkateswara will remain closed to devotees from 9 am to 7.30 pm on March 3 owing to a lunar eclipse, the temple administration said on Sunday.
According to a press release, the temple will reopen for devotees after the completion of ‘suddhi’, the purificatory rites performed to cleanse the temple after the eclipse, with offline darshan resuming at 8.30 pm.

“The temple will remain closed for over 10 hours and will reopen for devotees after the completion of purificatory rituals,” it added. The lunar eclipse is expected to last nearly three-and-a-half hours, from 3.20 pm to 6.47 pm.

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“TTD said several sevas—including Ashtadala Pada Padmaradhana (worship of the Lord’s feet with eight-petaled lotus flowers), Kalyanotsavam (celestial wedding ceremony), Unjal Seva (swing ceremony), Arjita Brahmotsavam (ceremonial procession) and Sahasra Deepalankara (lamp illumination ceremony)—will be cancelled due to the eclipse.” Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams has requested devotees to cooperate with the arrangements made in view of the lunar eclipse.