TIRUMALA: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) on Saturday urged people to temporarily postpone their plan to visit the Srivari temple after the hill shrine experienced an unprecedented weekend rush of devotees.
TTD officials said the influx of pilgrims on Saturday was higher than the rush witnessed during Vaikunta Ekadasi and Garuda Seva days. With all queue lines and compartments full, Srivari Darshan has now been taking over 48 hours.
Officials said going by the current rate of only 4,500 devotees having Srivari Darshan per hour, it would take two days to provide darshan to all the queue. TTD Executive Officer (EO) suggested people planning to visit Tirumala to take note of the situation and alter their pilgrimage plans accordingly.
While inspecting the queue lines on Saturday evening, the EO directed all officials to step up facilities for devotees. He said elaborate arrangements for drinking water, milk, Anna Prasadam, etc. have been made and the TTD security were ensuring the safety of the devotees.