Darshan – Money that matters, Poor people the one who suffers!
I like to say, this article to be read as an “advice” rather than reading as ablog article,
I am a devotee of Lord Balaji, Thirumala Tirupathi. Since year 2000(When I started my business),
I have been making regular visits to the balaji temple at least 2 to 3 times in a year.
My favorite days are to visit any one Saturday in Purattasi month & on the dayof Vaigunda Yegathesi.
This year I had tried for my 3rd visit to the temple on Vaigunda Yegadesi(Yesterday 07.01.2009) &
it was my first experience, I just returned home without having a darshan 🙂 🙂 :), these days every
visit to the temple is becoming costly, one need to spend Rs.500 for one darshan ticket expenses
through agents & staff at TTD, unfortunately or fortunately,this visit turned me to realize
the sense about the real issue of this over Tirumala
TTD doing an unorganized administration in recent years.
The Cellar ticket cost is Rs.100, but additionally one need to spend 100 to 400 as
a commission & bribe, out of this 50% goes to agents & 50% to theemployees & officers,
these tickets are mostly influenced by high & middle class devotees, to my guess these
category visitors are making many visits in a year.
In recent years administration at TTD getting into collapse, they fail to recognize that they
are doing injustice to the poor people(free darshan), who normally visit the temple once in
many years. The way the Vaiguntam complex is filled & the way it is administrated, makes
me to worry everytime I visit, reasons are…..
1) As an average 2500 people aredumped & locked into one room
2) 2 rooms are interconnected &that’s make a 5000 people mingling around & connected to
common toilets.
3) Average sitting by a person in a single room ranges between 3 hours to 16 hours.
4) Every 4 to 5 Hours milk or food is supplied free of cost,sometimes never.
5) There are about 23 Rooms in new Vaiguntam complex and additionally 20 Rooms are in Old
Vaiguntam complex.
6) Once the room is opened, a crowd of 2500 people try to getout of the room 2 gates at same time,
but most time leads to stamped. (I am serious please !!!!!!! don’t take kids below 5 years to the free
darshan & it is strictly not advisable.
7) Once out from the room , it takes 3~5 hours on the queue to get to the darshan.
8) After darshan it takes an average of an hour to come outof the temple.
9) Recent days the administration has made drastic change tothe flow of devotees,
( Making spring kind of flow to avoid rush, you come outfrom one room, & diverted
to another room ) also making it as one way traffic inside the temple. Doors are opened either
to IN or OUT crowd.
10) This process leads to thousands of crowd getting gathered at single place before
Hundi offerings, this stop really makes one to worry as the crowd get accumulated, any
abnormal behavior by single person inside the crowd can lead to a stampede (There may have
been incidents, Isense most are not brought into the media, because the most affected were
poor& they can never voice out)
11) Cellar/VIP tickets are issued based on the recommendation letters issued by the
Higher Authorities, MLA’s & MP’s., but it is not really a great deal in getting these
recommendation letters, as Rs.50~100 is paid to recommendation letter’s issuers.
The most crucial reason to this lagging & dumping(free darshan devotee’s)inside
the rooms are because of Rs.50 Darshan tickets & cellar ticket entries.
Yesterday,we had a news that, there was clash, stampede & dharna There wasan
unconfirmed news that a child was killed in the stampade(I had a doubt & asked the
people who returned from the rooms, who returned without having darshan, they said,
they were inside the room for almost 12 Hours,no food, no milk, Since 6th night about
45000 people were just inside the roomsfor more than 10 hours, It is not really possible
to feed three times to 40 thousand people unless you do more systematic calculation & preparation,
Infact police have confirmed that two room gates were broken by devotees, I guessthe death of
child may not be true, but no doubt that keeping the mediaaway from publishing such incidents are not ruled out.
I have no right to say to you, not to visit Tirumala, but I
suggest plan yourtrip only on working days, not on festivals
& event days
I strongly criticise the Administration officials & Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam board for their
inefficiency in managing & handling the temple. There are lot of solutions to these, which the
administration should think of it,here are some from my view
1.Increase the size of doors, God will not mistake it
2.Think of options to add more gatesfor In & Out( Inside the temple)
3.Create 3 to 4 segrated lines &have step down model to better view of “Mulavar” & making atleast 5~8
people to darshan in a second.
4.Completely stop Cellar tickets.-This is very much required to control people making multiple visits in a year by bribing.
5.Provide Live video coverage of”Vaigunda Vasal” opening, to the Channels & outside the temple
There are many other issues which the TTD board should really think about it to solve.
TTD officials should take thinks very seriously & act now, else the time will be too late.
Devtoees should promote their own temple’s & do religious activities in their own area/village,
instead of making the TTD officials & agents rich, also buying disappointment over lord balaji.
Happy Darshan!.
Long live Tirumala soveriegnity