TIRUMALA: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) administration has been astonished by the massive response to the e-Dip registration system for Vaikunta Darshan.
Between November 27 and December 1, a total of 24,05,237 devotees registered their names to seek the auspicious darshan during Vaikunta Ekadasi on December 30, Dwadasi on December 31, and Thrayodasi on January 1. From these, 70,000 devotees were selected for Vaikunta Ekadasi darshan, 75,000 for Dwadasi, and 68,000 for Thrayodasi through the e-Dip lottery system. By Tuesday noon, SMS confirmations were sent to all the lucky devotees with details of their allotted darshan slots.
The administration has intensified preparations by holding a series of meetings with Heads of Departments to ensure smooth arrangements and hassle-free darshan.
Officials recalled last year’s tragic incident when five devotees lost their lives in a stampede, and stressed that this year’s unprecedented registrations demand meticulous crowd management, during the Vaikunta Dwara Pravesam.
According to TTD data, 8,71,340 devotees registered for Ekadasi, of which 57,000 were allotted tickets. For Dwadasi, 8,52,404 devotees registered, with 64,000 selected. On Thrayodasi, 8,48,367 devotees registered, and 55,000 were chosen.
TTD revealed that 13.4 lakh registrations were made through its exclusive mobile app, 9.3 lakh through the official website, and 1.5 lakh via government apps. Direct entry will be allowed until January 8 from January 2 onwards, with exclusive lines for locals providing 5,000 tokens per day on January 5, 6, and 7.
TTD will release 15,000 Sheeghra Darshan tickets priced at Rs 300 online from December 5, along with 1,000 Srivani tickets daily from January 2. The administration plans to facilitate darshan for 70,000 devotees per day during the ten-day Vaikunta Dwara Darshan period.