Tirumala Witnesses Heavy Pilgrim Influx Despite End Of Holidays
Accommodation counters and locker facilities remained overcrowded, with demand far exceeding availability: Reports
TIRUPATI: Despite the end of the summer vacation season, Tirumala continued to witness an unusually heavy influx of pilgrims over the weekend, resulting in prolonged waiting hours for darshan and severe pressure on accommodation, transport and other basic amenities.
On Sunday, all compartments at Vaikuntam Queue Complexes I and II remained full, with the queue extending beyond the Batagangamma temple on the Outer Ring Road. As of 7 pm, the waiting time for Sarva Darshan was estimated at 18 to 20 hours.
In view of the heavy rush, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) suspended VIP Break Darshan and SRIVANI Trust Darshan on Monday to facilitate darshan for a larger number of common devotees.
Many families, including those with young children and elderly members, waited for several hours before entering the queue complexes. Devotees who could not secure accommodation spent the night at Pilgrim Amenities Complexes, temporary shelters, parks and other open spaces across the hill town.
The heavy influx also put pressure on transport and civic infrastructure. Traffic moved slowly on the ghat roads and within Tirumala during peak hours, while many devotees had to walk long distances from parking areas and bus stands to the queue entry points, carrying luggage and accompanying children or elderly family members.
Accommodation counters and locker facilities remained overcrowded, with demand far exceeding availability. Although TTD arranged drinking water, Annaprasadam and temporary toilets at several locations, the large number of pilgrims kept these facilities under constant strain.
According to TTD, 85,582 devotees had darshan on Saturday, while 44,155 offered their hair in fulfilment of vows. The hundi collection stood at Rs 3.76 crore. Officials said 4.66 lakh laddus were sold and 3.43 lakh devotees were served free meals under the Annaprasadam scheme. They said all departments were working round the clock to regulate queues and ensure essential services for devotees.
