Tiruchi City Police have made elaborate security arrangements for Vaikunda Ekadasi at Srirangam Ranganathaswamy Temple commencing on Tuesday with the annual event slated up to January 4.
A temporary police outpost established in connection with the festival within the temple premises was opened by Commissioner of Police J. Loganathan in the presence of Temple Joint Commissioner P. Jayaraman and police personnel.
The highlight of the annual festival is the opening of Paramapadhavasal in the early hours on December 25 on Vaikunda Ekadasi. As lockdown restrictions were in place due to COVID-19 pandemic, devotees would not be allowed inside the temple from the evening of December 24 till 8 a.m. the next day. Devotees who booked online would alone be allowed from 8 a.m. with 600 persons per hour on December 25, Mr. Loganathan told reporters here.
Similarly, devotees would not be allowed during the purapaadu of the processional deity during the Pagal Pathu, Mr. Loganathan said adding that they would be allowed after purapaadu for darshan from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. with 600 devotees per hour during the festival days. The temple authorities had made necessary arrangements for the festival and for darshan, Mr. Loganathan said.
He appealed to pilgrims to extend their cooperation to the police, district administration and temple authorities during the pandemic period.
As part of security arrangements, around 220 surveillance cameras had been installed within the temple premises and its vicinity to maintain round-the-clock monitoring. In addition to this, 11 watch towers would be established around the temple complex to check crimes.
Around 450 police personnel on rotation basis would be deployed for the Pagal Pathu. On Vaikunda Ekadasi, when the Paramapadhavasal was opened on December 25, over 1,000 police personnel would be deployed.
The city police had identified nine temporary parking lots separately for parking of two-wheelers and four-wheelers in the temple town in connection with the festival, he added.
