Mathura, 30 December. The grand Vaikunth Dwar at the largest South Indian style Rangnath Temple in North India was opened on Tuesday on the occasion of Vaikunth Ekadashi. Lord Rangnath appeared at the Vaikunth Dwar, which opens only once a year, to bless the devotees. It is believed that devotees passing through the Vaikunth Dwar attain the sacred Vaikunth Lok.
The Vaikunth festival commenced late at night with the Mangala Aarti of Lord Rangnath. Early morning, during Brahma Muhurat, Lord Rangnath, accompanied by Mata Goda Ji, was carried in a palanquin from his sanctum to the Vaikunth Dwar amid the melodious sounds of traditional instruments. The palanquin remained stationed at the gate for about half an hour.
Upon arrival at the Vaikunth Dwar, priests led by Mahant Govardhan Rangacharya performed sacred readings. After around thirty minutes of prayers and rituals, Kumbh Aarti was offered by Shat Kop Swami, Nath Muni Swami and Alvar saints. Following the Vedic chants, Lord Rangnath’s procession circled the temple premises before being seated at the Poundanath Temple, regarded as Lord’s own Vaikunth Lok. Devotees sang bhajans in praise of the Lord there.
Millions of devotees gathered from the night itself in hopes of passing through the Vaikunth Dwar. Temple priest Swami Raju stated that during the 21-day Vaikunth festival, the gate is opened on the 11th day, Vaikunth Ekadashi, which is considered one of the most auspicious Ekadashis of the year. It is believed that those who pass through the gate on this day attain Vaikunth Dham.
Temple Chief Executive Officer Anagha Shri Nivasan explained that during the Vaikunth festival, Alvar Acharyas recite their compositions to the Lord. The Vaikunth Dwar opens at Brahma Muhurat in all South Indian Vaishnav temples, and this tradition is observed at the Rangnath Temple in Vrindavan. The gate was beautifully decorated with over a thousand kilograms of various flowers brought from Vrindavan, Delhi, and Bengaluru. The lighting created an atmosphere reminiscent of Vaikunth Dham itself. Devotees were delighted to witness Lord Rangnath’s darshan on Vaikunth Ekadashi.
The belief behind opening the Vaikunth Dwar on Vaikunth Ekadashi traces back to South Indian Alvar saints who asked Lord Narayan about the soul’s path to his personal Vaikunth. The Lord revealed the divine play of emerging through the Vaikunth Dwar on this day. This tradition continues to be observed at the Shri Rangnath Temple according to established rituals.
A massive crowd thronged the temple to have darshan and pass through the Vaikunth Dwar. Strict security arrangements were made to manage the gathering under the supervision of CO Sadar Sandeep Singh, Kotwali in-charge Sanjay Pandey and Crime Inspector Dharmendra Kumar.
The temple management ensured comfort for devotees amidst the cold by laying mats along the route and arranging bonfires at various points. Tea, milk, and halwa prasad were served to the devotees who arrived from late evening. Priests Vijay Mishra, Govind Mishra, Raghunath Swami, Raju Swami, Sadhana Kulshreshtha, Raju Saxena, Kamlesh Rathore, Pankaj Sharma, Lakhan Lal Pathak, Jugal Kishore, Ravindra Vishwas, Amit, Arjun and others were present during the event.
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