Tirupati Tirumala temple to shut for over 10 hours on March 3 due to lunar eclipse

The temple will reopen for devotees after the completion of 'suddhi', the purificatory rites performed to cleanse the temple after the eclipse.

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.

File image: Devotees take part in the golden chariot procession of the Lord Venkateswara temple on the occasion of Vaikuntha Ekadasi, at Tirumala in Tirupati. (PTI)

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.

"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," the release said.

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams has requested devotees to cooperate with the arrangements made in view of the lunar eclipse.