Tirumala: The final decision on whether devotees will be allowed to visit the Tirumala Tirupati temple during “Maha Samprokshana” will be taken on July 24, the Executive Officer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), Anil Kumar Singhal, said on Tuesday.
“TTD will take the final decision on July 24. The interests of the devotees are of utmost priority to the TTD trust board and the board won’t hesitate to change its decisions if such decisions cause the problem to them,” said Singhal
The TTD board’s decision to stop the devotees to visit the temple for nine days during the “Maha Samprokshana” ritual has stirred controversy in Andhra Pradesh.
Singhal further said that the board is thinking of allowing devotees in two instalments and has also asked the devotees to express their views.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu also asked the TTD board to allow devotees in limited number during the ritual.
“Devotees should not be made to wait for a number of days for darshan,” he said.
The Chief Minister also asked the temple administration to follow the precedents so that no Agama Sastra rules are violated, and no devotees are troubled.
On July 14, the TTD trust board announced that the devotees will be restricted to enter the temple from August 9 to 17 due to ‘Maha Samprokshana’, a grand cleansing ritual performed once in 12 years.
TTD trust chairman Putta Sudhakar took the decision in a special meeting.
“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,” he explained.
The initiation ritual ‘Ankurarpana’ would be held on August 11, while the ‘Samprokshana’ rituals would be held from August 12 to 16. (ANI)