The decision of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) management to make submission of Aadhaar card mandatory for performing ‘Anga Pradakshinam’ at the world famous temple of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala has kindled hope that more devotees will get a chance to fulfil their vow as it could restrict repeaters.
In ‘Anga Pradakshinam’, a devotee takes a holy dip in the temple tank ‘Srivari Pushkarini’, arrives at the temple with wet clothes and rolls over his body on the floor in the temple’s inner precincts around the sanctum sanctorum. The centuries-old practice is a must-do for many families that visit Tirumala.
As of now, 750 devotees are allowed on first-come-first-served basis to perform this ritual on all days except Fridays, which roughly takes an hour. The TTD management, at a review meeting chaired by Executive Officer D. Sambasiva Rao last Tuesday, decided to make Aadhaar mandatory. However, it is not known if it would be scanned and used to keep tabs on repeat visitors.
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For the Rs.300 special entry darshan, Aadhaar is one of the documents accepted as a proof of identity, along with the PAN and voter identity cards. But, it is a ‘must produce’ identity card for residents of Tirupati, who are given an opportunity to worship on the first Tuesday of every month. While the idea initially was to check the veracity of the address, curbs were slowly introduced to rein in repeat visits.