Tirumala Witnesses Unrelenting Pilgrim Rush

Tirupati: The pilgrim rush in Tirumala continued unabated on Sunday, with devotees waiting between 24 and 30 hours for darshan of Lord Venkateswara Swamy amid severe congestion and packed queue lines.

TTD officials said queue compartments were filled to capacity and waiting lines extended up to the Bata Gangamma temple area on the outer ring road. Large numbers of women, children and elderly devotees were seen waiting in tightly packed queues under humid weather conditions.

Officials said 97,561 devotees had darshan on Saturday, one of the highest footfalls recorded in recent times. As many as 57,780 pilgrims offered tonsures at Kalyanakatta, while hundi collections amounted to Rs 3.76 crore.

The continuing summer vacation rush placed heavy pressure on accommodation, queue management and pilgrim amenities, with all cottages, guest houses and pilgrim amenities complexes remaining fully occupied.

Despite the heavy inflow, TTD deployed Srivari Sevaks, vigilance staff and additional personnel at key points to regulate queues and provide drinking water, annaprasadam and assistance to devotees.