The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the sole custodian of the temple of Lord Venkateswara here, is contemplating effecting major changes inside the main temple complex.
The intention is to decongest the inner precincts and derive maximum advantage of the space that is sparsely available inside the temple.
Though decongesting of the inner precincts is not new, the TTD has met with stiff resistance every time it embarked on the initiative.
Earlier changes
The exercise of decongesting the inner precincts had actually begun with the shifting of ‘Akhilandam’ (a place for breaking of coconuts by devotees) from within the complex to the present location at Sri Bedi Anjaneya Swamy temple outside the temple in the early 1980s, and gained pace with the shifting of the ‘Kalyanotsavam’ venue from within the ‘Vimana prakaram’ to the ‘Sampangi prakaram’, followed by the change of place of the distribution of ‘theertham’ and ‘satari’ to the devotees to the present location behind the golden well from within the inner sanctum in the 1990s.
Thereafter, periodical changes are being made inside the temple precincts to suit the requirements of the day.
But with the temple registering a steep increase in the footfalls, the ’laghu’ darshan system was introduced in the mid-90s, which was later replaced with ‘Maha Laghu’ in 2004.
Later, the TTD moved the ‘boondi’ making kitchen outside the temple and climaxed it with the recent shifting of the ‘Parakamani’ to a new premises equipped with state-of-the-art security and technology outside the main temple complex.
New avenues
With the pilgrim turnout increasing by leaps and bounds, particularly post the COVID-19 times, the TTD focused its attention on identifying new avenues to vigorously take forward its decongesting programme.
The TTD is seriously toying with the idea of shifting the entire laddu making (moulding) mechanism outside the temple complex and limit the inner temple kitchen only to the making of laddus offered as ‘naivedhyam’ to the presiding deity as per the ‘dittam’ (quantity as prescribed in the Agama).
The TTD believes that the move will not only enhance the availability of free space but also enable devotees to sit for a while and do meditation withing the main temple complex.
Another area of concentration is the shifting of the distribution point of ‘anna prasadams’.
‘Anna prasadams’ such as ‘pongal’, ‘pulihora’, and ‘kadam baath’ are provided free of cost by TTD to the devotees coming out after the darshan of the deity.
The TTD wants to decongest the area that remains tucked in a narrow space between two major structures on the northern side of the Dwajasthambam, and shift the distribution point to the north-east corner of the temple, where a massive hall, which earlier served as a stock point for laddus, exists.
Team inspects structure
A team of engineering officials, along with temple architects (stapatis), who inspected the hall and examined its nature of construction, in their preliminary findings are learnt to have arrived at a consensus that it is an additional concrete structure built a few decades ago to suit the then temple requirements and has nothing to do with the main temple complex.
They have also suggested demolishing of the hall that has no religious sanctity and exists contrary to the temple ‘vaastu’.
The TTD, which is cautiously treading the issue, has already initiated parleys with eminent religious personalities and other Agama pundits to avoid any kind of controversy before arriving at a final conclusion.
