TIRUMALA: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has announced a trial run to reinstate the Early Morning VIP Break Darshan, shifting from the current VIP Break Darshan schedule that begins at 8 am or 10 am on peak days like Fridays, and concludes by 1:30 pm.
The decision, made by TTD officials and temple authorities, aims to revert to the earlier 4:30 am or 5:00 am start time. Earlier during the previous YSRCP government, the then Executive Officer AV Dharma Reddy introduced changes allowing VIP Break Darshan to start at 8 am or 10 am based on VIP demand and referral letters.
Initially, the VIP Break Darshan ticket numbers were capped below 1,000, even on peak days, but later surged to 2,300. Government orders during that period mandated the temple board to accept at least one referral letter per MLA/MP daily.
Later, it was increased to two, extending the same policy to Telangana MLAs and MPs.
This change led to a significant rise in VIP tickets, reaching 4,000 to 5,000 per day.
Following the election code, TTD temporarily halted the discretionary quota but resumed it post-government change, recently reinstating Telangana representatives’ referral privileges.
New change may be a bane to commoners
Currently, Telangana MLAs and MPs can submit one letter for six people for VIP Break Darshan on Mondays and Sheeghra Darshan on Tuesdays, while Andhra Pradesh MLAs and MPs can submit letters from Wednesday to Saturday.
The daily VIP Break Darshan, including protocol, Srivani, and referral categories, accommodates over 5,000 tickets, with recent additions pushing the count above 7,000.
The proposed shift to early morning darshan has sparked concerns among temple officials.
The 5:00 am to 10:00 am slot is currently utilised to allow 7,500 to 23,000 common devotees, particularly on weekends, to have darshan without tickets or tokens.
An early VIP Break Darshan could force common pilgrims to wait in queue lines from midnight until 11:00 am. Despite these concerns, the TTD Trust Board has directed authorities to proceed with the trial run to assess the feasibility of the new timings.