Tirumala temple reopens, darshan for 6,000 staff, kin

Tirumala temple reopens, darshan for 6,000 staff, kin

Trial Run Will Continue For Two More Days

Sandeep.Raghavan@timesgroup.com

Tirupati:09.06.2020

It was a ‘darshan’ with a difference for the 6,000-odd devotees when the doors of the Lord Venkateswara temple in Tirumala reopened on Monday, after staying closed for 80 days due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Elaborate preventive measures were put in place by the authorities of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) to ensure all Covid-19 norms are in place. There was no pushing or shoving, social distancing and hygiene were paramount.

The trial run will continue for two more days. On the first two days, entry would be allowed only to TTD staff and their family members, while Tirumala locals can have darshan on June 10. The temple opens for devotees from across the state and outside from June 11.

“Perhaps for the first time in many years I had such a smooth experience. There was no pushing or shoving inside the sanctum sanctorum, everyone was wearing masks. It felt a bit surreal. There is no differentiation between common devotees and VIPs at Tirumala temple now. The quality of darshan is the same for all,” said a TTD staff.

While nearly 4,500 to 6,000 devotees used to have darshan per hour in the pre-Covid days, now only 500 devotees would be allowed entry per hour. TTD chairman Y V Subba Reddy, who is personally monitoring the resumption of pilgrim services at the temple, said their main focus would be on ensuring that devotees are not inconvenienced despite the strict norms in place.

“For the first three days we decided to allow only our own employees, their families and Tirumala locals for darshan so that any shortcomings in the arrangements can be spotted and improved upon to ensure that the best of amenities and safety measures are in place when pilgrim services resume from June 11,” he told TOI.

He said not more than 6,000 devotees will be allowed in a day for darshan till the end of June. “TTD will actively monitor the situation and if time and other constraints permit, we will try our best to facilitate darshan for more number of devotees in the weeks to come. But resumption of arjitha sevas for devotees will remain cancelled till lockdown is completely lifted,” Subba Reddy added.

TTD has also resumed laddu distribution, tonsure services and annadanam services in strict adherence with Covid-19 safety protocols.

Meanwhile, other TTD temples across the country except for those in the containment zones also reopened for pilgrim worship on Monday.

Preventive measures such as social distancing and sanitisation of the sanctorum were followed on the first day of the trial reopening of temple