Darshan time stretches to 30-hours in Tirumala

Tirumala: Tirumala, the holy abode of Lord Venkateswara, witnessed an unprecedented summer weekend rush in the last 24 hours  since Friday. With a sea of  humanity turning up for darshan, waiting time touched the 30-hour mark for the first time this summer on Saturday.

With devotees thronging the hill shrine, the limited facilities available atop the shrine were stretched beyond their limits. The Vaikuntam Q complex was  brimming with devotees, several thousands of whom  spilled over in kilometre-long queues outside the Q Complex.

According to the TTD, about 4,1780 devotees had  darshan from 3 am  to 6 pm. The waiting time for  devotees opting for  ‘Sarva Darshan’ touched the 30-hour mark. For  devotees trekking up the hills and opting for the  ‘Divya Darshan’  the waiting time was  around 14 hours.

The quota for special  entry tickets of Rs 300 was exhausted by 11am, and the counters were closed. The rush is likely  to continue till Tuesday.

Meanwhile, G. Srinivas, the chief vigilance and security officer of the TTD, on Saturday, issued orders making it mandatory for two-wheeler riders to wear a helmet while driving on the ghat roads leading into and exiting the Tirumala hill shrine.

Mr Srinivas, who has been monitoring the increase in the vehicular traffic has passed instructions to the Alipiri and GNC tollgates to ensure that the instructions are complied with.