Tirumala witnesses heavy rush of devotees

Hans India

2 days ago

Tirupati: The temple town of Tirumala remains crowded with a massive influx of devotees, many of whom have been waiting for nearly 24 hours in queue lines to have a darshan of Lord Venkateswara. The influx has persisted since Friday night, with the additional queue lines set up near the Silathoranam point continuing to witness high footfall even on Tuesday.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has been struggling to manage the overwhelming number of visitors, as existing facilities for accommodation and other services are stretched to capacity. Long queues have spilled out of the Vaikuntam Queue Complex, extending into the Narayanagiri Gardens and stretching up to 2–3 kilometre along the Outer Ring Road.
According to TTD officials, 92,221 pilgrims had darshan of the deity on Saturday, followed by 80,193 on Sunday and 74,149 on Monday. By 6 pm on Tuesday, more than 50,000 pilgrims had already completed darshan, while thousands more remained in the extended lines. It may be noted here that darshan commenced only after 12 noon on Tuesday as a sacred ritual, 'Koil Alwar Tirumanajanam' was performed in the morning.
Despite the TTD's efforts to create additional queue shelters with roofing and improve crowd management, the long walking distances and prolonged waiting periods have posed difficulties, particularly for the elderly and children.
Acting on the instructions of TTD Executive Officer J Syamala Rao and under the supervision of Additional EO Ch Venkaiah Chowdary, senior officers have been monitoring the situation on the ground to ensure smoother movement and better services for pilgrims. TTD has also arranged for the supply of Annaprasadam, drinking water, and security to manage the crowd effectively.
TTD has requested devotees to be patient and prepared for extended wait times during their visit, given the continued heavy rush. Meanwhile, TTD received Rs 4.72 crore from hundi collections on Monday followed by Rs 4.43 crore on Sunday.