TIRUPATI: An unprecedented influx of devotees at the Sri Venkateswara Temple atop Tirumala hills has led to suspension of the VIP break darshans until June 30. The decision came on Friday as devotees waited in queue lines for over 30 to 40 hours for a glimpse of Lord Venkateswara.
The two queue complexes of Vaikuntam and Narayanagiri stretched nearly 4-km long, all the way to the Outer Ring Road's Octopus building.
The TTD announced, "The suspension of VIP break darshans will persist tentatively until June 30. To support the devotees patiently enduring the long queues, we have arranged for toilets, drinking water, annaprasadam, milk and other beverages."
The huge pilgrim surge is mainly due to the summer vacations, the recent conclusion of elections and the declaration of the examination results.
"We've been standing over 12 hours, and my children are exhausted and hungry," said Ramesh Gupta from Delhi, adding, "But the prospect of Lord Venkateswara's darshan makes every hardship worth the while."
During weekends, ordinary devotees frequently endure waits of 20-24 hours. However, this season, the waiting times have extended beyond 30 hours. "My wife and I are saddened to see our two-year-old child struggling in this endless line, but, in the end, we hope to see and pray before Lord Venkateswara,” said Sanjeev Kumar from Chittoor.
Official statistics indicate around 65,416 pilgrims received darshan on Thursday alone. By 6 pm on Friday, over 56,000 devotees had ended their prayers, but thousands more were awaiting entry into queues stretching far beyond the temple complexes.
Due to the current darshan timings for the sarva darshan pilgrims already stretching to nearly 30-40 hours, the TTD stopped accepting recommendation letters for VIP darshans.
