Tirupati temple to be shut down for devotees for a week

Tirupati temple to be shut down for devotees for a week: One of the most popular and prestigious temples of the world, Lord Venkateswara temple in Tirupati, would be shutting down for devotees and the ‘darshan’ would be restricted from August 9 to August 17.

As per the information provided by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) on Saturday, ‘Maha Samprokshana’, which is a cleansing ritual performed once in 12 years, would be taking place. The temple would be shut down for devotees from 6 PM on August 9 to 6 AM on August 17.

“Pilgrims will not be allowed to enter Vaikuntham Queue Complex for darshan after 6 pm on August 9. The darshan will resume to pilgrims only after 6 am from August 17 on wards. We therefore request the pilgrim devotees of Lord Venkateswara present across the globe to plan their pilgrimage accordingly”, informed a press release by the TTD board.

“The last time “Maha Samprokshana” was held, only 20,000- 30,000 devotees would visit the temple so, it was possible to allow a limited number of them. But, now over one lakh devotees visit the temple on a daily basis, even if limited Darsan is allowed, most of the devotees will have to wait in queues. If Darshans are allowed on 9th and 10th; there will be a heavy rush on the Tirumala hill,” TTD trust chairman Putta Sudhakar was quoted as saying.

The Tirupati temple receives a footfall of close to 70,000 pilgrims each day with numbers crossing a lakh during summer.