TIRUPATI: The Tirumala Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple, along with several other temples in Andhra Pradesh, was closed on Saturday night following a lunar eclipse, which was visible between 1.05 am and 2.22 am early hours on Sunday.
In view of the lunar eclipse, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) closed the temple at around 7.05 pm on Saturday. The Vengamamba Annaprasada Kendram was also closed, and TTD distributed food packets as alternatives for the devotees staying at Tirumala. The Sahasra deepalankarana seva (a special ritual that involves lighting thousands of lamps) was also canceled.
TTD authorities said that the temple would be cleaned at around 3.15 am on Sunday by offering pujas, and devotees would be allowed for darshan after that. Other major temples in the state, such as the Vontimitta and Devuni Gadapa temples, also remained closed on Saturday evening due to the lunar eclipse.
