TIRUCHY: Thousands of devotees from various parts of the country and abroad thronged the World-renowned Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple -- the first and foremost among 108 "Divya Desams" (temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu) on the occasion of the "Vaikunta Ekadasi" festival at Srirangam here on Friday.
The processional deity "Lord Namperumal," clad in the glittering "Rathna Angi" (gem-studded armour), exited the sanctum sanctorum at 0415 hours, early this morning, amid the reciting of "Krishna Yajur Veda" hymns and other Vedas by the temple priests and Vedic scholars.
The deity was taken in a procession through the gold-plated flag mast (Dwajasthambam) to the flower-decked "Viraja Nadhi Mandapam."
Later, the Lord Namperumal passed through the "Paramapada Vaasal" when it was opened at the auspicious 0515 hours with a huge stream of devotees chanting "Govinda, Govinda, and Renga, Renga" surging behind the idol.
The deity was thereafter taken to "Thirumamani Asthana Mandapam" for public darshan.
Over three lakh devotees were estimated to visit the temple on this auspicious day.
The presiding deity, "Lord Ranganatha Swamy," was adorned with the traditional "Muthangi" (pearl robe) in view of the festival.
The opening of the Paramapada Vaasal, also popularly called the "Sorga Vaasal" (gateway to Heaven), on the Vaikunta Ekadasi is the highlight of the 22-day Vaikunta Ekadasi festival.
The 236-foot-tall and 13-tier "Raja Gopuram" (main gateway) of the temple-the tallest temple tower in the world-was adorned with a giant garland prepared from several kilograms of flowers, including yellow marigold (saamanthi) and holy basil (thulasi).
A comprehensive security cover was thrown over the holy town of Srirangam by the police in coordination with various departments; besides, anti-sabotage teams were also deployed at vantage points in and around the temple complex.
The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation plied special buses from various parts of the state to Srirangam.
The Tiruchirapalli district administration had declared a local holiday today in view of the Vaikunda Ekadasi festival.