Tirupati temple stampede: what is the Vaikuntha Ekadasi festival, what went wrong

Sub : History

Sec: Art and Culture

Context:

A tragic stampede occurred at the Tirupati temple on January 8, 2025, resulting in the deaths of six people. The stampede happened as thousands of devotees gathered to collect tokens for the darshan of Lord Venkateswara during the Vaikuntha Ekadasi festival.

About the festival:

Vaikuntha Ekadasi is a highly auspicious festival dedicated to Lord Vishnu, who is worshipped in the form of Lord Venkateswara at the Tirumala temple.
On Vaikuntha Ekadasi day, Sri Malayappa Swamy, procession deity in the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, accompanied by Sri Devi and Bhu Devi, is taken out in a grand procession in a golden chariot, blessing the devotees who gather along the temple streets.
It falls in the Tamil month of Dhanur (usually in December or January) and is believed to mark the day when Lord Vishnu opens the Vaikuntha Dwara (the gate to heaven) for devotees.
The festival was traditionally observed for one day but has expanded into a 10-day event due to the increasing number of pilgrims.

Vaikuntha Dwara and its Significance:

The Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple at Tirumala has a special entrance known as Vaikuntha Dwara near the sanctum sanctorum, opened only on Vaikuntha Ekadasi.
It is believed that anyone who passes through the Vaikuntha Dwara on Vaikuntha Ekadasi attains Vaikuntha, the heavenly realm of Lord Vishnu.

About Tirupati temple:

The Tirupati Temple, also known as the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple, is one of the most famous and revered Hindu pilgrimage sites in the world, located on Tirumala Hill in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. Tirumala hills are part of Seshachalam Hills
The temple is dedicated to Venkateswara (also known as Balaji, Srinivasa, or Govinda), a form of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared on the earth to save mankind from trials and troubles of Kali Yuga.
It is part of the Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) trust, which manages the temple and its operations.
The temple’s origins trace back to at least 2,000 years ago, with references in ancient texts such as the Vishnu Purana and Varaha Purana.
It is an example of Dravidian architecture, which is characterized by pillared halls, pyramidal roofs, and gopurams, and is believed to have been built around 300 AD.