The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).
Credit: PTI File Photo
Hyderabad: The TTD Executive Officer (EO), Anil Kumar Singhal said that elaborate arrangements are being made for the auspicious Vaikuntha Dwara Darshanam scheduled from December 30 to January 8 atop Tirumala hill shrine.
Talking to reporters, Singhal said that over the past two months, officials have conducted inspections and prepared detailed plans covering entry and exit routes, security arrangements, annaprasadam distribution, accommodation, queue line management, and parking facilities.
As per the directions of the Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, a special TTD Board meeting was convened and several key decisions were taken, giving top priority to common devotees during the ten-day Vaikuntha Ekadasi- Dwara Darshanams, he said.
Darshan tokens through the e-DIP system were allotted to common devotees for December 30 (Vaikuntha Ekadasi), December 31 (Vaikuntha Dwadashi), and January 1. To ensure wider participation, e-DIP registrations were kept open for five days.
Around 24 lakh devotees registered, of whom 1.89 lakh devotees were selected through e-DIP and allotted tokens for the first three days.
The EO clarified that devotees who received tokens for darshan on the first three days have to arrive strictly as per the allotted date and time slot so that they can have darshan within two hours without any inconvenience.
The devotees who could not secure tokens through e-DIP will be allowed for darshan through Sarva Darshan queue lines from January 2 to January 8.
From January 2 to January 8, a total of 15,000 Rs 300 Special Entry Darshan tickets and 1,500 SRIVANI Darshan tickets have been released online per day.
For locals of Tirupati and Tirumala, 5,000 tokens per day will be issued under the local quota on January 6, 7, and 8.
In view of the heavy influx of devotees for Vaikuntha Dwara Darshanam, special darshans for parents with infants, senior citizens, differently-abled persons, NRIs, and defence personnel have been cancelled.
The EO assured that adequate arrangements have been made for the distribution of annaprasadam so that devotees visiting Tirumala for Srivari darshan do not face any inconvenience.
For security, 3,500 police personnel and 1,150 TTD vigilance staff have been deployed to ensure tight security arrangements.
An Integrated Command Control Centre will continuously monitor the situation and take prompt decisions to reduce waiting time for devotees through systematic and planned measures.
The EO appealed to all devotees to follow TTD guidelines, maintain discipline, patience and have darshan of the Sri Venkateswara Swamy in a hassle free manner.
In connection with the auspicious Vaikuntha Ekadasi on December 30, the traditional temple cleansing ritual, the Koil Alwar Tirumanjanam was performed as per Agama at Tirumala Temple in Tirumala on Tuesday, December 30.
Anil Kumar Singhal also said that it has been a long-standing tradition to perform Koil Alwar Tirumanjanam on the preceding Tuesday during four major occasions such as Ugadi, Anivara Asthanam, Brahmotsavams, and Vaikuntha Ekadasi.
As part of the ritual, the entire temple complex—from Ananda Nilayam to Bangaru Vakili—along with sub-shrines inside the temple, temple premises, potu, walls, ceilings, and puja articles were purified by sprinkling sacred aromatic mixture "Parimalam'' and thoroughly cleansed.
After the completion of special pujas and offering Naivedyam in accordance with Agamic procedures. Later the devotees were allowed for Darshan.