The world-renowned Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple at Tirumala is experiencing an unprecedented surge in pilgrim numbers, exacerbated by the convergence of weekend holidays and summer vacations. According to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) sources, over 2.4 lakh devotees have offered prayers at the temple in the last three days. The peak was recorded on Saturday with 92,830 devotees, while Friday saw 74,636 and Thursday 75,428.
As of Sunday morning, the waiting time for devotees opting for Sarvadarshan without tokens (free darshan) was estimated at 24-30 hours, with serpentine queues stretching kilometers up to the Octopus building point at Tirumala.
To manage the rush, TTD Additional Executive Officer Ch Venkaiah Chowdary is closely monitoring crowd management through the AI-powered Integrated Command Control Centre at Tirumala, aiming to expedite darshan and reduce waiting times.
TTD authorities have established 29 food distribution points along the queue lines to ensure round-the-clock free food and refreshments for devotees and their families. Additionally, 29 extra queue blocks have been set up between the Bata Gangamma queue line point and the Pachikalva Gangamma temple junction to facilitate smooth entry into the outer queue lines.
Due to the heavy rush, the Tirupati trust is maintaining a buffer stock of the highly sought-after Tirupati Laddu prasadams to meet the surge in demand. TTD sources reported that approximately 4.6 lakh laddus were sold on Saturday alone.
As the summer vacation pilgrim rush continues, the TTD has extended restrictions on the issuance of VIP break darshan through recommendation letters until July 15.
