सनातन पुस्तकालय Sanatan Cultural Library

Tradition holds that on this Ekadashi the door of Vaikuntha, Vishnu's supreme abode, stands open, and whoever passes through its earthly counterpart with devotion is assured of liberation. The Padma Purana's well-known Ekadashi narrative tells of Vishnu's feminine power, Ekadashi, vanquishing the demon Muran on this day, which is why the fast itself carries such weight. In the Telugu country it is Mukkoti Ekadashi — the day when three crores (mukkoti) of deities are said to attend upon Vishnu. At Srirangam, the largest Vishnu temple in India, the day falls at the centre of the twenty-one-day Adhyayanotsavam, during which the entire Nalayira Divya Prabandham of the Alvars is recited before Lord Ranganatha — ten nights of Pagal Pathu followed by Ra Pathu, with Vaikuntha Ekadashi opening the second half. Nammalvar's Tiruvaymoli is sung as the god listens, a ritual enactment of the soul's journey home.

Devotees observe a full fast on the Ekadashi — many take only water or fruit — keep an all-night vigil of bhajans and Vishnu Sahasranama recitation, and break the fast after sunrise on Dwadashi. The heart of the temple celebration is the opening of the Vaikuntha Dwaram, the northern entrance kept closed for the rest of the year. At Srirangam this is the Paramapada Vasal: in the small hours Lord Ranganatha, adorned in a pearl-strung armour (muthangi), is borne through the gateway, and vast queues of pilgrims follow through it all day. Tirumala, Bhadrachalam, Srirangapatna, Melukote and virtually every Vishnu temple of the south keep the custom on the same night. Rice is traditionally avoided by all on Ekadashi; homes prepare simple phalahara food, and the following Dwadashi meal often includes agathi keerai and nellikai in the Tamil tradition.

The fast and the vigil travel easily: a household in Ottawa can keep Vaikuntha Ekadashi exactly as one in Chennai or Vijayawada would — fasting through the day, reciting Vishnu Sahasranama or a portion of the Tiruvaymoli in the evening, and breaking the fast after local sunrise on Dwadashi. Because the tithi is computed for your own location, check the site's Ekadashi calendar for the correct Ottawa date, which can differ by a day from India. December in Ottawa means the vigil falls on one of the longest nights of the year — many families find it a natural night for extended bhajans. Srirangam and Tirumala both stream the Vaikuntha Dwaram rituals live, and watching the Paramapada Vasal opening at Indian dawn (early evening in Ottawa) has become a cherished diaspora custom. Local temples with Venkateswara or Ranganatha shrines often hold special darshan queues on the day.