The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has decided to extend the VIP darshan facility to the Udayasthamana Sarva Seva Endowment Scheme (USSES) and Vimsati Varshini Darshini (VVD) ticket holders who could not attend to their sevas at the Lord Venkateswara temple this year, owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
Following appeals from devotees, the TTD decided to extend the facility with the protocol darshan on par with the donors of the SRIVANI Trust.
According to the TTD officials, six persons will be allowed on each Udayasthamana seva ticket and the age of devotees should be between 10 and 65 years, in adherence with the COVID-19 protocols.
Devotees can avail of the facility on any day of their choice by submitting details of their tickets at the Arjitham office at Tirumala a day in advance before 5 pm.
For more details, devotees can dial the phone number 0877-2263589 or send mail to arjithamoffice@ gmail.com.
Koil Alwar Thirumanjanam performed
Meanwhile, the Koil Alwar Thirumanjanam was performed at the hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala on Tuesday as a prelude to the Salakatla annual Brahmotsavams, scheduled to begin from September 19.
As part of the rituals, all the idols were temporarily removed from the sanctum sanctorum while the presiding deity was provided with a water-proof covering.
The priests cleaned the sanctum sanctorum including the floors, ceilings and walls. A paste of vermilion, sandal wood powder, turmeric, refined camphor and herbal ingredients that acts as disinfectant were applied to all the walls, pillars and ceiling of the main sanctum as well as at other sub-shrines inside the temple complex and cleaned with water.
Among others who took part in the rituals include TTD Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal, Additional EO A.V. Dharma Reddy, Deputy EO (temple) Harindranath and SVBC CEO Suresh. The darshan that was suspended in the morning resumed after the rituals.