Tirumala Temple closed on January 31

Tirupati: The world famous Lord Venkateswara temple on the sacred Tirumala hills will remain closed on January 31, due to total lunar eclipse.

According to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the temple will be closed at 11:00 am on January 31 and will be reopened at 9:30 pm. Though the duration of the eclipse is from 5:18 pm to 8:41 pm, the extended timings for temple closure are to enable purification rituals as prescribed by the ‘agama’ shastras, the TTD said. Meanwhile, pilgrims will be allowed darshan of the presiding deity only after 10:30 pm, a statement from the TTD said.

Why Are Hindu Temples Closed During Eclipses?

Temples are basically something like Quantum healing centers, where the geometry is used to create certain subtle energy flow conducive to deep subjective experience, enabling the devotees to experience god within himself within the temple, says Santhip Kanholy in his answer on Quora.

Different shrines evoke different kinds of subtle energies, and particular aspects of the divine. These subtler energies also interact with the cosmic energies coming from the solar system, planets, etc. So it is to make use of those cosmic energies and to enable further balancing of the energies within a temple, they are closed during eclipses.