LUCKNOW: In the wake of huge rush of devotees thronging Ayodhya to visit newly-consecrated Ram Lalla, Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kheshtra Trust may soon implement the system of queue management evolved by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) to ensure hassle-free visits for the devotees.
The temple trust of Ayodhya had reached out to the TTD and a team from Tirupati had visited Ayodhya in February to demonstrate their queue management system. The authorities meeting would ensure better management of pilgrims who throng the temple in hordes on a daily basis.
TTD is the official custodian of Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati, which has decades of experience in successfully managing thousands of devotees every day.
According to Temple Trust member Dr Anil Mishra, the trust, striving to inculcate a proper crowd management system, is exploring the best possible option while seeking the expertise of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.
As per the sources of temple trust, the TTD delegation, led by executive officer V Dharma Reddy, had visited the Ram Temple in February and conducted queue management lessons for the Temple trust members. The TTD officials also held a high-level meeting on the regulation of devotees’ influx and the management of queues. The delegation had also given a presentation over the best crowd management practices implemented at Tirupati temple, which draws around three crore devotees annually from across the globe.
Officials with the trust said the recommendations of the TTD were likely to be replicated at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple shortly as the TTD team suggestion would ensure better experience for devotees.
“The Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu, Kashi Vishwanath Trust in Varanasi and Shirdi Sansthan in Maharashtra, are some of the trusts that have sought expertise of the TTD so far,” said a temple trust authority in Ayodhya.
It may be recalled that lacunae in crowd management had surfaced on the next day of consecration ceremony on January 22, 2024 when the temple was thrown open for general public. Lakhs of devotees thronged Ayodhya leaving all the streets approaching the temple chock-o-block leading to a stampede like situation.
Over 5 lakh devotees had taken darshan of Ram Lalla on January 23 sending the law enforcement agencies and temple management into a tizzy.
The situation was taken under control when UP CM Yogi Adityanath intervened and took the command in his own hands appealing to devotees through the public address system to cooperate and have patience. Yogi had an aerial survey, directed immediate changes in the existing crowd management plan.