TIRUMALA: As many as 6.47 lakh devotees had Vaikunta Dwara Darshan of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala temple from December 23 to January 1, said Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) executive officer AV Dharma Reddy on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters, he added that devotees were provided comfortable and hassle-free Srivari darshan through tokens that were slotted for a specific time, which helped in avoiding prolonged waits in queue lines.
This also ensured that more number of devotees than usual had Anna Prasadam during the 10-day fete, he noted. According to the TTD EO, as many as 19,255 VIP break protocol tickets were issued, but 18,578 attended and 677 (3.3%) were absent. Similarly, 6,858 tickets were booked online by donors of which 6,388 had darshan, while 470 (7%) were absent. Dharma Reddy added that Srivani Trust donors were issued 20,000 tickets, with 19,803 offering prayers to the Lord.
A total of 2.25 lakh Rs 300 Special Entry Darshan (SED) tickets were issued online. Of the total, 1,97,254 had darshan, with 27,476 (12.2%) absentees. As many as 4,23,500 Slotted Sarva Darshan (SSD) tokens were issued, and 3,24,102 had darshan. Temple Hundi collection stood at Rs 40.20 crore. As many as 17.81 lakh devotees were provided Anna Prasadam, 35.60 lakh laddus were sold and 2.14 lakh devotees got their head tonsured.