Vaikuntadwara Darshan at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthan commences from December 23 

Vaikuntadwara Darshan at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthan commences from early hours of December 23 at 1.45 am and will conclude at the midnight of January 1.

This annual event is considered to be highly auspicious. 

Pauranic significance of Vaikuntha Dwara Darshan : 

As per Puranic legend one day duration in Vaikunta of Sri Maha Vishnu is considered as one year on the Earth. Similarly, the 12 hours of daytime in Vaikunta is 6 months in earth also termed as Uttarayana and 12 hours of nightfall in Vaikunta is six months of Dakshinayana on Earth.

The devotees should note that all these ten days are equally important.

According to official release by TTD: 

•  Only devotees with tickets or tokens will be allotted rooms.

•  As in past break Darshan facility is provided to protocol VIPs in person in limited numbers only. During these ten days no recommendation letters for break Darshan will be accepted.

•  Devotees with tokens and tickets alone shall be allowed for Srivari Vaikuntadwara Darshan at Tirumala 24 hours ahead only.

•  Devotees without tokens could reach Tirumala but can not get Darshan. They can visit other places in Tirumala viz. Papavinasanam, Akasa Ganga etc.

•  Devotees with tokens or tickets should come for Srivari Darshan at a specified date and time only.

•  Devotees should plan Tirumala only after ascertaining the availability of tokens through SVBC channel and TTD website.

Tirumala, abode of Sri Venkateswara (also known as Balaji), is one of the most celebrated pilgrimage centers in India and it attracts millions of devotees every year. 

The temple is situated atop the Tirumala Hills which consists of seven peaks known as Sapthagiri at an altitude of 3,200 feet. The seven peaks represent the seven hoods of Adishesha, the serpent on whom lies Lord Vishnu. The temple lies on the seventh peak -Venkatadri.

The temple of Lord Venkateswara was built by the Tamil king Thondaimaan. The Pallavas of Kanchipuram (9th century), Cholas of Tanjore (10th century), Pandyas of Madurai and Vijayanagara Kings (14th & 15th centuries) regularly visited the temple and made large contributions towards its development. Especially, Sri Krishna Devaraya of Vijayanagara Empire contributed a lot to the temple. The statues of Sri Krishna Devaraya and his spouses stand in the premises of the temple.

The Tirumala shrine is a masterpiece of Dravidian architecture. The main sanctum contains 2 m high standing idol of Venkateswara on a lotus accompanied by his consorts Bhudevi and Sridevi. The most striking feature of the awe-inspiring black idol is its fabulous diamond crown, which is said to be the most precious single ornament in the world. The Sanctorum ‘Ananda Nilayam’ has a glittering gold covered Vimana and gold covered gates.