Pilgrims Join 5-km Queue to Glimpse Tirumala Venkateswara

Tirupati: Massive influx of devotees into Tirumala continued on Sunday, owing to the weekend, summer holidays and post-election period.

People who cannot afford tokens for easier darshan are joining serpentine queue lines stretching to 5 kilometres. They are spending over 24 hours before they can have a glimpse of Lord Venkateswara.

Authorities of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams have set up additional queue lines from the Octopus building near Kalyana Vedika from Saturday. But the lines continued to grow with devotees pouring in relentlessly on Sunday.

TTD services appear stretched beyond capacity. As per official figures 90,721 pilgrims had darshan on Saturday. By 6 pm on Sunday, over 61,000 devotees had their glimpse of the Lord while thousands more waited in queue lines snaking beyond the Vaikuntam complex, through Narayanagiri gardens, extending nearly five kilometres to the Octopus building start point.

Over 1,500 Srivari Seva volunteers are ensuring continuous supply of Annaprasadam and water," a senior TTD official stated. Medical teams have also been deployed, with buggies supplying medicines and ORS packets.

TTD executive officer (EO) A.V. Dharma Reddy and officers led by JEO V. Veerabrahmam are working round-the-clock amid the deluge of devotees.

Darshan has become an arduous challenge, particularly for the elderly and children. Demand for accommodation has far surpassed the supply, leaving numerous pilgrims to shelter wherever they can.

TTD has appealed to devotees to prepare themselves for patient waits, given the unprecedented rush on the hills.