Devotees Rush for Early Darshan at Temples Ahead of Lunar Eclipse Closure

Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirumala, Sri Kanipakam Vara Siddhi Vinayaka temple in Chittoor, Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Swamy Varla Devasthanam in Srisailam, Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam in Vijayawada, Yadagirigutta Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple in Yadadri and Sri Raja Rajeshwara Temple in Vemulawada, among other temple to be closed in the afternoon.

Sri Lakshminarsimha Swamy temple at Yadagirigutta was closed at 7 am on Tuesday due to lunar eclipse. The temple priest would open the temple at 3 am on Wednesday and perform samprokshana and allow the devotees for darshan after conducting nitya poojas.

At the Meenakshi Amman Temple, devotees gathered in large numbers in the early hours to offer prayers before the temple doors were shut. A devotee, Gopalakrishnan, who was celebrating his 60th birthday, shared his experience.

He said that since the temple authorities had announced a morning closure due to the lunar eclipse, he and his family arrived early to offer prayers. After completing the darshan, he expressed happiness and satisfaction at being able to mark his special day at the temple.

"Today is my 60th birthday, so we came to the temple. Since it was announced that the temple would be closed in the morning due to the lunar eclipse, we came early and had darshan. I feel very satisfied and happy," said Gopalakrishnan.

Another devotee, Valarmathi, mentioned that her family also visited early in the day because of the announced closure. She noted that the temple witnessed a heavy rush of devotees in the morning as many people had gathered to complete their darshan before the doors were shut.

"Due to the lunar eclipse, it was announced that the temple would be closed in the morning. So, we came early today with our family and completed the darshan. As the temple was to be closed in the morning, there was a heavy crowd," said Valarmathi.

Meanwhile, a temple priest in Kanpur said this was the first lunar eclipse of the year and that temple doors were closed after the Mangala Aarti. He added that the doors are scheduled to reopen at 7 pm, followed by ritual bathing and adornment of the deity.

After the Bhog Aarti, the temple will remain open for devotees until 11 pm."This is the first lunar eclipse of the year. All doors (of the temples) have been closed after Mangala Aarti. At 7 pm, all doors will be opened, baths will be given, and adornments will be performed.

After Bhog Aarti, the doors will remain open until 11 pm," said the priest. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a total lunar eclipse will take place on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, across several time zones. The phenomenon occurs when the entire Moon passes through the Earth's umbral shadow. A partial lunar eclipse, in contrast, takes place when only a part of the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow.

In a post on X, the IMD stated that the total lunar eclipse on March 3 will have a magnitude of 1.155. The eclipse will be visible across India, as well as in parts of Eastern Asia, Australia and the America.

In the Indian context, the visibility of the eclipse will vary by region. Most places in the country will observe the ending phase of the lunar eclipse at the time of moonrise. However, in parts of North-East India and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the end of the totality phase will also be visible.

According to Indian Standard Time (IST), the celestial event will follow a specific schedule throughout the afternoon and evening. The eclipse is slated to begin at 3.20 pm, with the totality phase starting at 4.34 pm.

The Moon will remain completely within the Earth's shadow until totality ends at 5.33 pm, and the entire eclipse cycle will officially conclude at 6:48 pm.