VIJAYAWADA/TIRUPATI: With the decision to close the Tirumala temple for devotees for a week for the smooth conduct of Mahasamprokshanam (cleansing ritual) drawing flak, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday morning directed the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) to allow a limited number of devotees to have darshan during the period. Within hours of his directive, the TTD announced it would reconsider its decision but clarified that a final call would be taken only at its trust board meeting on July 24.
A couple of days ago, the TTD had held an emergency meeting and announced much to the dismay of devotees that the Srivari temple would be closed from 6 pm on August 9 to 6 am on August 17 in view of the Ashtabandhana Balalaya Mahasamprokshanam, a cleansing ritual performed in the temple once in 12 years.
The TTD had also made it clear that the road route from Alipiri and the two trekking routes — Alipiri and Srivari Mettu — would be closed for devotees during that one week. Its decision sent ripples across the State since it was the first time that the temple was going to be closed for such a long time.
When the ritual was performed last in 2006, the temple administration had allowed darshan for a minimum of three hours a day.
Speaking to reporters in Tirupati, TTD EO Anil Kumar Singhal said the TTD would take the opinions of devotees into consideration before taking a final decision.
“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 TTD Trust Board meeting on July 24,’’ he said. He felt darshan could be provided to the devotees for up to 3-4 hours a day during the ritual period, which means 25,000-30,000 pilgrims could have darshan.
“We will go with the majority opinion on the mode of darshan — whether to allot tickets online or provide darshan on ‘first come first serve’ basis. We will receive feedback from the pilgrims till July 23,” Singhal said.
TTD Trust Board Chairman Putta Sudhakar Yadav, at a hurriedly convened press conference, claimed that much of the criticism directed against the TTD over the decision was motivated. “Our earlier decision to suspend darshan was in the larger interests of pilgrims,” he explained.