TTD sets up India's first AI-powered pilgrim integrated command & control center

Hyderabad: The world's richest Hindu temple on Thursday has unveiled India's first AI-powered pilgrim Integrated Command & Control Center (ICCC), revolutionising the sacred experience at Tirumala hill shrine in Andhra Pradesh.

With approximately 4,500 pilgrims receiving darshan of the presiding deity Lord Venkateswara each hour, this groundbreaking facility represents a historic fusion of ancient devotion and cutting-edge technology.

Built in just 16 days under a pro bono, donor-funded initiative by NRIs, the ICCC embodies seva without commercial expectations. The facility consolidates live feeds from across Tirumala into a single command hub, marking the first temple ecosystem in India to unify physical and cyber monitoring within one AI-driven center.

The system scales crowd management techniques typically reserved for major transport hubs to serve Tirumala's unique devotional context. Its sophisticated AI infrastructure delivers comprehensive crowd management through predictive analytics that forecast sarva darshanam wait times, 3D congestion visualisation, and unified cyber threat monitoring to safeguard pilgrims and temple systems.

Over 6,000 AI cameras provide surveillance coverage while high-performance computing optimises queue flows and accelerates incident response. The platform processes an impressive 3,60,000 payloads every minute, handles 518 million events daily, and generates 2.5 billion real-time inferences.

Digital twin technology from Kloudspot, supported by NVIDIA's infrastructure, enables comprehensive monitoring with real-time density tracking, anomaly detection, and robust defense against misinformation campaigns.

After inaugurating the ICCC on Thursday, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu advised TTD officials to reduce darshan waiting times for devotees' benefit. Learning that 4,500 devotees receive darshan per hour, he asked officials to increase this to 5,500 using technology.

The Chief Minister emphasised maintaining strict vigilance at Alipiri gate to prevent entry of liquor and prohibited items into Tirumala. He stressed that the command center should properly manage devotee rush while monitoring cleanliness as a top priority, aiming to develop greenery up to 90 percent in Tirumala.

The ICCC traces its origins to IT Minister Nara Lokesh's 2024 Silicon Valley visit, where smart city, AI, and digital twin technologies inspired him to apply frontier innovation to enhance Tirumala's scale, safety, and service.

According to TTD officials, the ICCC represents a transformative advancement that enhances crowd flow management, accelerates emergency response capabilities, and fortifies digital infrastructure.

This initiative aligns with TTD's broader AI adoption strategy announced earlier this year, designed to elevate the pilgrim experience while preserving the sanctity of this sacred destination.