The TTD is seriously toying with the idea of suspending the issuance of ‘Divya Darshan’ tokens during the weekends and other crowded days.
Despite opening of all educational institutions in the State as well as in other parts of the country, the temple town is witnessing huge rush of devotees.
Smashing all the previous records, more than 21 lakh pilgrims had darshan of the presiding deity in June so far.
Inarguably, the devotees are rather enticed to opt for the ‘Divya Darshan’ tokens, which are issued half way on both the footpaths, unmindful of the ordeal involved in reaching Tirumala on foot.
Privileges
Devotees are bestowed with certain privileges such as assured darshan of the deity within 12 hours of availing the token, in addition to one free laddu and two laddus at a subsidised price of ₹10 and an exclusive entry point to join the darshan lines.
It is for these reasons the number of devotees reaching the temple on foot has shot up to more than 30,000 per day on an average as against a meagre 10,000 to 12,000 pilgrims during the previous years.
While more than 7.85 lakh pilgrims have reached the temple on foot so far during the month, about 3.70 lakh pilgrims had the darshan in the special entry lines. The priority being attached to the trekking pilgrims has many a time not only proved disadvantageous to both the pilgrims opting for ‘Dharma Darshanam’ as well as the special entry ticket-holders but also led to a kind of disgruntlement among the devout.
To strike a balance among diverse sections of devotees, the management is considering various options – scrap the ‘Divya Darshan’ tickets and maintain only two darshan lines (paid and free), dispense with the issue of tokens during the weekends as is being done in the case of VIP darshan tickets, and impose a limit in the issue of the tickets every day.
Pending final decision, most of the officials, it is learnt, are in favour of scrapping the system of issuing tokens during weekends and on crowded days so as to benefit the devotees at large.
