VIJAYAWADA: With the decision to close the Srivari Temple atop Tirumala for darshan to devotees for a week for the smooth conduct of a cleansing ritual drawing flak, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday directed the TTD to allow a limited number of devotees to have darshan during the period. Within hours of Naidu's directions, the TTD announced that it will rethink its decision and take a final call at the Trust Board meeting on July 24.
A couple of days back, the TTD after holding an emergency meeting, announced that the Srivari Temple will be closed to devotees for a week, from 6 pm on August 9 to 6 am on August 17, in view of the Astabandhana Balalaya Mahasamprokshanam, a cleansing ritual that is performed every 12 years. Though the ritual begins with Ankurarpanam on August 11, the TTD suspended darshan from August 9 evening itself.
Not just darshan, the TTD said the road route from Alipiri and the two trekking paths - Alipiri and Srivari Mettu - will also be closed for devotees.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, TTD EO Anil Kumar Singhal said the TTD would not go ahead unilaterally and would take the opinions of devotees into consideration. ``The decision to close the temple for devotees during the ritual was taken to avoid inconvenience to them. However, we will take a final decision at the next Trust Board meeting on July 24. There is still a week for the meeting, we will take the opinions and views of devotees and experts,'' he said.
The EO also felt darshan could be given to devotees for upto three-four hours a day during the ritual period, which means 25,000-30,000 pilgrims could have darshan every day.
TTD Trust Board chairman Putta Sudhakar Yadav said in a hurriedly convened press meet that the decision which was taken keeping in mind the pilgrims' convenience was unnecessarily being distorted and motives were being attributed to the TTD.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed CMO officials to take up the issue with the TTD. The CM had to step in following widespread criticism over the closure of temple for such a long time. In fact, the temple has never been closed for a week at a stretch. Interestingly, the rethink comes on a day when former chief priest AV Ramana Deekshitulu was scheduled to hold a press meet reportedly over the issue in Chennai.
When the ritual was performed last in 2006, the temple officials allowed darshan of the Lord for a minimum of three hours a day.