Devotees Throng Temples on Toli Ekadasi

Hyderabad: Devotees across the city thronged temples on Saturday to mark Toli Ekadasi, participating in special rituals dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

The festival, observed in the Ashada month of the Telugu calendar, is believed to mark the beginning of Lord Vishnu’s four-month cosmic sleep (Yoga Nidra) in Ksheer Sagar.

Temples organised archana and special pujas, with large numbers of devotees attending from early morning. Many observed fasting and night-long vigil, engaging in meditation and devotional singing.

According to a devotee, Namratha, “Most Hindu families visit temples early in the morning, while many devotees observe a fast. Some also stay awake through the night in jagarana, meditating and singing devotional songs.”

A resident of Lower Tank Bund, A. Nalini, said she visited the TTD temple at Himayatnagar with her family. “I visited the TTD temple at Himayatnagar with my family in the morning. Devotees had been queuing from 5 am, and the line extended up to the second building. The temple organised special pujas for the occasion. Toli Ekadasi is the first of the 24 Ekadasis observed during the year,” she said.

At Birla Mandir, chief priest Lakshminarasimha Charlu said prayers began early and continued till night due to heavy turnout. “Prayers began at 5 am, and thousands of devotees queued for darshan. Owing to the heavy turnout, the temple remained open until 10 pm,” he said.