Heavy Rush Continues At Tirumala, Devotees Wait Up To 18 Hours
The continuing summer holiday rush led to severe crowding in queue lines and holding areas: Reports
TIRUPATI: Tirumala witnessed massive pilgrim rush on Saturday, with devotees waiting up to 18 hours for darshan of Lord Venkateswara Swamy as queue lines stretched up to the Silathoranam holding point on the outer ring road.
The continuing summer holiday rush led to severe crowding in queue lines and holding areas, with elderly persons and children facing difficulties amid humid conditions and congestion.
A brief spell of rain on Saturday morning added to the inconvenience for pilgrims waiting in open queue lines. Devotees were seen using towels, bags and plastic sheets to protect themselves from the rain while remaining in the serpentine queues. The weather later turned cooler, bringing some relief from the prevailing heat.
The continuous inflow of pilgrims over the past week has put pressure on accommodation, queue management and other facilities in Tirumala. Several devotees were seen resting along roadsides, open spaces and holding areas due to shortage of accommodation.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) officials said Friday recorded one of the highest pilgrim footfalls in the history of the hill shrine, with 87,689 devotees having darshan of the presiding deity.
TTD also facilitated darshan for 5,850 devotees during the Abhisheka Seva, enabling thousands of pilgrims to witness the rare ritual.
Despite the heavy rush, TTD officials said elaborate arrangements had been made to ensure smooth movement of devotees and provide essential services. Srivari Sevaks and vigilance staff were deployed at key locations to distribute drinking water and annaprasadam and assist pilgrims in queue lines.
