Lord Parthasarathy temple at Triplicane

Chennai: Since tens of thousands of devotees are expected to throng the renowned Sri Parthasarathy Swami Temple at Triplicane for Vaikunta Ekadasi on December 29, elaborate arrangements are being made by officials. Authorities of the hindu religious and charitable endowments department have joined hands with those from the police and local administration departments. "Security and other arrangements are reaching final stage and everything will be in place by Wednesday", they said.

According to officials, darshan will be allowed from 2 am on December 29 and Swarga Vaasal (entry to heaven) will be opened at 4.30 am. Sale of tickets will start from tomorrow and they are priced at Rs 300 per head.

"Tickets will be sold on first come first serve basis. People should bring a proof of identity to obtain tickets. They can show Aadhaar card or voter ID or passport," officials said. As part of special measure, senior citizens can have darshan between 8 and 10 am and the differently abled between 10 am to 8 pm.

Also, queues for entry into the temple and the sanctum sanatorium are well planned and arranged, they said. "CCTV cameras in every possible vantage points, to monitor the crowds are being placed," officials added.