TIRUMALA: A dramatic incident unfolded on Friday at the Govindaraja Swamy temple in Tirupati when a Telangana youth attempted to climb the towering Gali Gopuram after the Ekantha Seva ritual, which marks temple’s closure for the day.
According to eyewitnesses, the youth scaled the structure using wooden barricades placed near the gopuram. Midway through his climb, he began shouting and threatened to jump from the top unless his demand for liquor was met. “If anyone gives me 90 ml, I will come down. Otherwise, I will jump,” he reportedly shouted.
Temple security personnel, along with fire personnel and Tirupati police, rushed to the spot. While officials tried to pacify him from below, security guards climbed the gopuram from the opposite side and managed to bring him down.
The individual was immediately handed over to the police and later shifted to the SVRR Government General Hospital for medical examination. Tirupati DSP confirmed to the media that a case has been registered against the youth.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) acknowledged the incident and said officials enforced security measures promptly, but the episode exposed security lapses at the temple located near the railway station, an area with heavy public movement.