Sources stated that the sri venkateswara temple atop tirumala in andhra pradesh will remain closed for nearly 13 hours on december 26, owing to the complete solar eclipse. The tirumala tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which manages the affairs of the temple, said in a statement "As the solar eclipse commences at 8.08 am and concludes by 11.16 am, as a tradition, the temple doors will be closed on december 25 by 11 pm itself and will be opened at 12 pm on december 26".
Furthermore after the completion of rituals, the devotees can continue their darshan after 2 pm. The TTD said "The devotees are requested to make a note of these changes and plan their pilgrimage accordingly". Further this is a common practice where the temple, which is one of the richest hindu temples in the world, shuts its doors during solar and lunar eclipses, for 'purification' rituals.
Meanwhile, the Chief Justice of the andhra pradesh high court, Justice Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari offered prayers in the Padmavathi Devi temple at Tiruchanoor on sunday, which is also overseen by the TTD. Moreover TTD Chairman yv subba reddy and Joint Executive Officer (JEO) P Basant Kumar received the senior judge and tirupati Urban Superintendent of police Gajarao Bhupal and temple Deputy Executive Officer jhansi rani were among those who were present. Perhaps believed to have been constructed over a period starting 300 AD, the temple atop tirumala attracts 50,000 to one lakh pilgrims every day and the number on special occasions like the annual brahmotsavam and festivals goes up to 4-5 lakh.
