tirupati: As a result of the long weekend, Tirumala witnessed the massive turnout of pilgrims, resulting in a serpentine queue and extended the waiting time for Darshan.
As of 7pm on Sunday, the free Sarva Darshan has an approximate wait time of 18 hours, while the devote’s 300 rupees ticket must wait 5-6 hours. Those with Sarva Darshan token also waited for six hours.
On Saturday, 78,821 devotees owned Lord Venkateswara’s Darshan, while 33,568 pilgrims offered Tonsure. The Srivari Hundi series involves Rs 336 crore.
TTD officials said the queue line extends to the ATC area, and all the cars in the Vaikuntam queue complex are filled with capacity. As of 7pm on Sunday, more than 50,180 devotees owned Lord Venkateswara’s Darshan, while thousands of devotees continued to wait in the queue hall.
In addition, long queues can be observed at the accommodation, Laddu and luggage counters, as well as tonsure and Nithyannadanam centres. At Tirupati, the railway station and RTC bus stations witnessed a large number of people, and pilgrims arrived from all over the country.
TTD has served as a senior official to oversee population management and ensure uninterrupted distribution of drinking water and free food packages. About 2500 Srivari Seva volunteers are deployed in various locations, including the queue complex, reception counter and Kalyanakatta.
In view of the haste, temple authorities canceled VIP Break Darshan until June 30. Officials claimed that careful arrangements had been made, but some pilgrims expressed displeasure at the delay in supplying food and water in certain places in the queue.
TD Additional Executive Ch. Venkaiah Chowdary conducted a surprise inspection on Sunday and directed officials to ensure that Annapura Sadan and drinking water were constantly supplied to devotees.
