The Hindu : Thin crowds at Tirumala on New Year Day

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 02, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Thin crowds at Tirumala on New Year Day

By Our Special Correspondet.

TIRUPATI Jan. 1. Contrary to expectations, there was a remarkably scanty crowd at Tirumala, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, for the New Year's day. The day normally used to witness a congregation of about one lakh in the past turning the entire hill station into a beehive of activity.

In fact, the TTD management, anticipating a huge inflow for the occasion, had made elaborate arrangements and had even cancelled or rescheduled the sale of seva tickets and allotment of cottages to provide the same on the first-come-first-served basis. But as an anti-climax, the pilgrim turnout for the day, according to initial estimates was not more than 40,000. Reports said that after forenoon, the queue complex and the queue lines looked relatively empty much to the disappointment of local traders who kept their shops fully stacked to make some brisk business.

The main doors of the shrine were thrown open at the stroke of 12.05 for all the pre-dawn rituals and the pilgrims, mostly VIPs comprising Supreme Court and High Court judges, Central and State Ministers, MPs and MLAs, senior defence personnel, top bureaucrats and executives of leading industrial houses were let in first to have the darshan of the Lord. The TTD was attributing the fall to a `play it safe' attitude adopted by pilgrims who, to beat the New Year rush, thronged the temple in the last week of December and were through with their year-end darshan.

Befitting the occasion, the temple priests adorned the main deity with the rarest of the jewels like the diamond-studded crown, Sanku-Chakram, Khati-Hastham and Karna Pathrams. Special `neivedyam' was offered to the Lord and the prasadam distributed to all.

A highlight was a 40-kg massive `laddu' prepared by the temple's `potu' (kitchen) section with all its usual ingredients and condiments to be offered to the Lord pre-dawn. It was later distributed among the VIPs and other devotees. The impact of the thin attendance was felt on the special counters opened for the sale of the TTD's audio and video cassettes, CD-Roms which put on a relativesly deserted look and so did the TTD canteens and private hotels.

Though the APSRTC had pressed into service extra buses to cope with expected the extra rush, there were not many to board them with the result they were seen shuttling with a megre crowd on board. As `Anga Pradakshinam' inside the temple was cancelled today in view of the rush, about 50 pilgrims were seen performing `Maha Anga Pradakshinam'-- physically rolling round the four main roads around the Tirumala shrine braving the biting cold and the rough terrain.

At Tirupati, down the hill, all the local temples were tastefully decorated with serial lamps and cut-outs and were thrown open for darshan around 3 a.m. With festive mood pervading, locals were seen making a bee-line to the temples where the deities were adorned with flowers and special ornaments. Rangolis were seen in front of houses, depicting numerous themes -- including arrival of the New Year.

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Thin crowds at Tirumala on New Year Day