Pilgrims rush in Tirumala; 70 hour wait for darshan

Tirupati, May 22 (UNI) There is no respite in the summer rush to the hill shrine of Tirumala, with pilgrims waiting for 70 long hours for free darshan and 50 hours for paid darshan of Lord Venkateswara.

Besides imposition of 'Mahalaghu Darshan' (long view of the main deity), temple authorities have banned sale of cellar darshan tickets to avoid inconvenience to free darshan pilgrims,Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam (TTD) said here today.

The rush was so heavy that kept pilgrims waiting for over 70 hours for darshan and 50 hours for special darshan, the sources said.

The number of waiting pilgrims at the central reception office in Tirumala was increasing for accommodation and long queues were also witnessed to buy tickets for paid darshan.

TTD had made all arrangements for pilgrims and was also providing free food at all 23 compartments in the Vaikuntam Queue Complex, where pilgrims were queueing up for darshan, the sources added.

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