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Vaikunta Ekadasi 2026: Tirumala Vaikunta Dwara Darshan Tickets, e-DIP and Dates, plus Srirangam
Vaikunta Ekadasi falls on Sunday 20 December 2026. At Tirumala the Vaikunta Dwara, the gate to Vaikuntha, opens for ten days, and the first three need a token won in an online draw. Here is the date, what TTD has said for 2026, exactly how last year worked, how to get there cheaply, and Srirangam, the other great Vaikunta Ekadasi temple. Last checked 8 November 2026.
Photo: Nikhilb239, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Text added by Trip Under.
Short answer
Vaikunta Ekadasi 2026 is on Sunday 20 December (Drik Panchang), and there is no second one in 2027. At Tirumala, TTD officials have said the Vaikunta Dwara Darshan will run for ten days, 20 to 29 December, with darshan on the first three days (20–22 Dec) only for devotees who win a token in an online e-DIP draw, and Sarva Darshan for the other seven (The Hans India, 6 Nov 2026). TTD had not opened registration or announced quotas as of 8 November. Last year registration was open for just five days, from 27 November, so watch for it from mid-November. There were no offline tokens. At Srirangam, the Paramapada Vasal opens at dawn on Ekadasi day.
For devotees of Vishnu, passing through the Vaikunta Dwara on Vaikunta Ekadasi is as close as it gets to walking through the gate of Vaikuntha. At Tirumala that means one of the most sought-after darshans of the year: last season about 24 lakh people registered for the first three days and fewer than 2 lakh got a slot. Knowing how the system works, and when the window opens, is most of the battle.
How we put this together. The date is from Drik Panchang. For 2026 we only have what TTD officials said at a review meeting on 5 November, reported by The Hans India; it is a set of directions, not a published schedule, and we say so. Everything else about tokens is how last season worked, from TTD announcements reported by DT Next, India TV, Deccan Chronicle and PTI, labelled as last season. We will update this page when TTD publishes the 2026 registration dates.
Vaikunta Ekadasi 2026 date and timings
| 2026–27 | 2025–26 (last season) | |
|---|---|---|
| Vaikunta Ekadasi | Sunday 20 December 2026 | Tuesday 30 December 2025 |
| Ekadasi tithi | 22:09 on 19 Dec to 20:14 on 20 Dec | — |
| Parana (breaking the fast) | 21 Dec, 7:10–9:13 am (New Delhi) | — |
| Tirumala Vaikunta Dwara Darshan | 20–29 December (TTD officials, 5 Nov) | 30 Dec 2025 to 8 Jan 2026 |
| Token-only days at Tirumala | 20, 21 and 22 December (directed) | 30 Dec, 31 Dec and 1 Jan |
| Srirangam Paramapada Vasal opening | Ekadasi morning, 20 Dec (time not yet announced) | 5:45 am, 30 Dec 2025 |
Tirumala 2026: what TTD has said so far
- Ten days, 20 to 29 December. TTD's Additional EO, Ch Venkaiah Chowdary, reviewed the arrangements with the Chief Vigilance and Security Officer at Tirumala on 5 November (The Hans India, 6 Nov 2026).
- First three days by e-DIP. Officials were told to allot the Slotted Sarva Darshan (SSD) tokens for the first three days through an online e-DIP (an electronic lucky draw).
- Sarva Darshan for the remaining seven days, with special arrangements on 25 December for the Srivari Abhishekam.
- Not announced yet: the e-DIP registration dates, the daily quotas, and the release dates for the ₹300 Special Entry Darshan and SRIVANI tickets for these days.
Only register on TTD's official channels: the TTD website and app, and the WhatsApp service TTD names in its notice. Nobody can sell you a Vaikunta Dwara token, and last year there were no offline tokens at all.
Photo: Vimalkalyan at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
How it worked last season (2025–26)
TTD usually repeats a working system, so this is the best guide to what to expect. After six people died in the crush at the Tirupati token counters on 8 January 2025 (The Week, 9 Jan 2025), TTD moved the first three days fully online.
| Step | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Offline tokens | None. No SSD tokens were issued in Tirupati during the ten days |
| e-DIP registration | 27 November to 1 December 2025, on the TTD website, app and WhatsApp |
| Draw | 2 December 2025. About 24–25 lakh registered; about 1.76 lakh were allotted slots |
| First three days (30 Dec – 1 Jan) | Token holders only, no walk-in darshan. ₹300 and SRIVANI tickets were cancelled. Daily slots: 57,000, 64,000 and 55,000 |
| Remaining seven days (2 – 8 Jan) | 15,000 ₹300 tickets and 1,000 SRIVANI tickets a day, released online on 5 December (SRIVANI at 10 am, ₹300 at 3 pm), plus free Sarva Darshan through queue complex VQC-2 |
| Privilege darshans | Cancelled, apart from protocol dignitaries attending in person |
| Result | 7.83 lakh darshans in ten days, a record |
How to get darshan: your options
- Win an e-DIP token for 20–22 December: register the moment TTD opens the window (last year it was open for five days) with the ID of every person in your group. It is a draw, not first-come-first-served, so registering on day one gives no extra chance, but missing the window rules you out.
- Book a ₹300 Special Entry Darshan for one of the seven later days, if TTD releases a quota like last year's 15,000 a day. Last year it went on sale online in early December. These sell out fast; see our ₹300 booking steps.
- Free Sarva Darshan on the later days. Last year it ran through queue complex VQC-2 from 2 January, with no token needed, but expect a very long wait.
- Go on a weekday after 25 December if your dates are flexible. Christmas Day (with the Srivari Abhishekam) and the weekend of 26–27 December are likely to be the busiest of the free days.
Getting there and what it costs
Tirumala is one of the cheapest big pilgrimages in India if you use TTD's own facilities. These figures are from our Tirupati route guide and TTD's transport pages:
| Item | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Overnight bus or train from Bengaluru or Chennai | About ₹700 each way | Arrive in Tirupati early morning |
| Railway station to Alipiri (foot of the hills) | Free | APSRTC free bus every 30 minutes; TTD free buses too (tirumala.org) |
| Walking up: Alipiri footpath | Free | About 7.8 km, about 3 hours (tirumala.org) |
| Walking up: Srivari Mettu footpath | Free | About 2.1 km, about 1.5 hours (tirumala.org) |
| Darshan | Free (e-DIP or Sarva Darshan) or ₹300 | The ₹300 ticket only on the later days, if released |
| Food at Tirumala | Free | TTD annaprasadam, served to everyone |
| Hotel in Tirupati town | From about ₹900 | If the hill is full; book early for these dates |
Srirangam: the other great Vaikunta Ekadasi
At the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam, Vaikunta Ekadasi is the climax of a twenty-day festival: ten days of Pagal Pathu, then ten of Ra Pathu. Last season Pagal Pathu began on 20 December 2025, the Paramapada Vasal (the gate to Vaikuntha, also called Sorgavasal) opened at 5:45 am on 30 December, and the festival ended on 9 January 2026 (ANI, 20 Dec 2025). The crowd for the dawn opening runs into lakhs: about 1.5 lakh came in January 2025 (New Indian Express).
- For 2026 the Ekadasi falls on 20 December, so expect Pagal Pathu from around 10 December and the Paramapada Vasal opening at dawn on the 20th. The temple had not published its 2026 schedule when we checked.
- Getting there: train, bus or flight to Trichy, then a local bus to the island, about 20 minutes. A paid quick darshan exists on festival days.
- Stay inside the temple walls in Srirangam if you want to be in the queue before dawn. See our Srirangam and Trichy guide.
Photo: Writer hit, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Frequently asked questions
When is Vaikunta Ekadasi in 2026?
Sunday 20 December 2026. The Ekadasi tithi runs from 22:09 on 19 December to 20:14 on 20 December (Drik Panchang). There is no Vaikunta Ekadasi in 2027.
What are the Tirumala Vaikunta Dwara Darshan dates for 2026?
20 to 29 December 2026, according to TTD officials at a review meeting on 5 November (The Hans India, 6 Nov 2026). TTD had not yet published a formal schedule.
When will TTD release Vaikunta Ekadasi 2026 tickets?
Not announced as of 8 November 2026. Last year e-DIP registration ran from 27 November to 1 December with the draw on 2 December, and the ₹300 and SRIVANI tickets for the later days went on sale on 5 December.
What is the e-DIP for Vaikunta Dwara Darshan?
An online lucky draw for free darshan tokens. For 2026 TTD officials directed that the first three days, 20–22 December, be allotted this way. Last year about 24 lakh people registered and about 1.76 lakh got slots.
Are there offline tokens for Vaikunta Ekadasi at Tirupati?
There were none last season: no SSD tokens were issued in Tirupati during the ten days. The change followed the crush at the token counters on 8 January 2025, in which six people died.
Can I go without a ticket on Vaikunta Ekadasi?
Not on the first three days, if TTD follows last year's rules: there was no walk-in darshan on those days. On the remaining seven days free Sarva Darshan was open to all.
When does the Paramapada Vasal open at Srirangam?
At dawn on Vaikunta Ekadasi. Last season it opened at 5:45 am on 30 December 2025. For 2026 the Ekadasi is on 20 December; the temple had not announced the time yet.
Sources and how we priced this
- Date: Drik Panchang, Vaikuntha Ekadashi 2026 and 2027 (read 8 Nov 2026).
- Tirumala 2026: The Hans India, TTD officials review arrangements for Vaikunta Ekadasi (6 Nov 2026).
- Tirumala 2025–26: DT Next, TTD scraps offline tokens for Vaikuntha Dwara Darshan (19 Nov 2025); India TV, TTD announcements on Vaikuntha Dwara Darshan (5 Dec 2025); Deccan Chronicle, tickets must for first three days (24 Dec 2025); PTI via The Week, 7.83 lakh devotees (9 Jan 2026); The Week, Tirupati stampede (9 Jan 2025).
- Srirangam: ANI via Asianet Newsable, Vaikunta Ekadasi festival begins at Srirangam (20 Dec 2025); The New Indian Express, Tiruchy edition, Paramapada Vasal opening (January 2025).
- Getting there: tirumala.org, Travelling from Tirupati to Tirumala and Transport Facilities. Costs: Trip Under's Tirupati and Srirangam route guides.
Keep reading
Book the rest of your Tirumala trip
The ₹300 ticket release calendar, free SSD tokens, SRIVANI, rooms on the hill and getting up from Tirupati.
Tirupati darshan booking guide →Costs come from Trip Under's place data and our cost model (see methodology). They are indicative ballparks for budget travel and move with season and demand. Check live bus, train and room prices before you book. Trip Under is reader-planned, not an agency, and takes no commission on any booking.