TTD gears up for Vaikuntha Ekadashi

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is making elaborate arrangements to ensure hassle-free darshans for pilgrims, in view of the auspicious Vaikuntha Ekadashi and New Year’s day which fall on the same day.

Elucidating on the preparations, the authorities said that the TDD was focusing on improving on the available pilgrims’ amenities and arrangements were being made to make ‘Vaikuntha Dwara New Year Darshan’ for common pilgrims easy, according to the directions of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and TTD Executive Officer D. Sambasiva Rao. “All the darshan tickets have been cancelled, except for the Sarvadarshan tokens, which would be available on January 1,” they said. 

“As many as 10,000 tickets (Rs.300) have been made available on the internet, so as to enable the devotees for darshan on the Dwadasi Day, falling on January 2. Besides this, sheds along with mobile toilets have been set up for pilgrims at various points. Plans have been drawn to ensure proper distribution of food, milk and other beverages to devotees,” they said. 

The officials also said that a limited number of tickets had been issued for the VIPs according to the protocol and urged them not to seek additional tickets. The officials have made it clear that the accommodation in Padmavathi guest house area would be provided to the VIPs personally, not through reference letters. 

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Tiruchi Police get ready for a huge turnout on Vaikunta Ekadasi

The police have geared up for the Vaikunta Ekadasi festival at Srirangam Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in anticipation of a big turnout of devotees. 

The festival that starts on December 21 and ends on January 11. 

The Vaikunta Ekadasi day, which falls on January 1, and the preceding day would witness heavy deployment of police personnel in Srirangam and other parts of the city to regulate movement of devotees, vehicular traffic, and crime prevention. 

Inaugurating a temporary police outpost inside the temple on Friday, Commissioner of Police Shailesh Kumar Yadav said that around 4,000 police personnel would be deployed on December 31 and January 1 in Srirangam and other parts of the city. Twenty-four closed circuit television units have been installed at vantage points inside the temple. 

The CCTVs were linked to the police outpost to monitor the movements of devotees. Four speed dome cameras and seven watchtowers have also been established to step up vigil. 

LED and LCD televisions have been installed at 18 places to help devotees view the festival. 

Three sets of public address systems – one by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department and two by the city police – have been put up to guide the devotees. 

Personnel of the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad armed with the necessary paraphernalia have been posted at 12 places. Parking lots have also been set up near the temple, Mr.Yadav said. Crime prevention teams would be deployed to curb offences and intelligence personnel would be posted to collect information, he said. The city police have mapped resource availability for ontingency response, he added.

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Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams braces for January 1 VIP pass rush

Vaikuntha Ekadashi 2015 - Program Details

ISKCON Bangalore Vaikuntha Ekadashi Preparations

Vaikuntha Ekadashi at Srirangam

Tirupati: Though New Year’s day and the auspicious Vaikuntha Ekadashi are still a week away, pressure for VIP passes is already mounting on the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.

State and Central ministers, MLAs and MLCs of various political parties, bureaucrats, judiciary, police, press and various people associated with the “power centres” are all set to queue up at the Lord’s abode on New Year’s day and Vaikunta Ekadasi, on January 1.

The temple administration, which has anticipated a heavy influx of devotees besides VVIPs to Tirumala on January 1, has already announced that VIP passes would be issued strictly as per protocol and on the basis of “one VIP plus three members”.

Despite this, it is learnt that the number of persons who fall in the “VIP bracket” would not be less than 4,000.

While on one hand, the temple administration is trying its best to keep a tab on the number of VIP passes to be issued, the friends and relatives of VIPs, including politicos, bureaucrats and others, are apparently mounting pressure for passes.

Additionally, this being the first Vaikunta Ekadasi after the Telugu Desam returned to power in the state after a decade, local TD leaders are exerting pressure on the party leadership to direct the TTD administration to be a little liberal on the issuance of VIP passes.

With polls to the Tirupati Municipal Corporation and by-elections to the Tirupati Assembly seat ahead, the request-cum-pressure tactics of local leaders for VIP passes for Vaikunta Ekadasi cannot be taken lightly, observed a TD leader.

It is still to be seen whether the TD-led state government and subsequently the TTD administration will yield to the pressure of the local leaders.

However, it is clear that the temple administration is going to have a tough time as far as the issuance of VIP passes for Vaikunta Ekadasi is concerned.

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Over 1,000 cops to handle Ekadasi rush at Tirumala

Chittoor Superintendent of Police Ghattamaneni Srinivas on Thursday said more than 1,000 police personnel would be drafted for duty for Vaikunta Ekadasi on January 1 at Tirumala.

According to Mr. Srinivas, who is also the chief vigilance and security officer of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the festival required foolproof bandobust at the entrances to queue complexes. “We are expecting double the regular crowd this year for the event, as it is on January 1,” the officer said.

Mr. Srinivas added that the TTD would call a high-level meeting on the issue within a week. “All arrangements will be finalised after our meeting with the TTD Executive Officer. The plan of action will purely depend on the number of passes issued to various categories and types of darshan and the formation of queues,” he said.

Meanwhile, a preliminary estimate said that more than 6 lakh devotees would throng the hill shrine on the Ekadasi day.

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It’s challenges galore for new TTD EO

Dr. D. Sambasiva Rao takes charge as the Executive Officer of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). The management is also burdened with the long-time ‘squatters’ who refuse to move out from their positions.

It doesn’t look all rosy for Dondapati Sambasiva Rao who on Wednesday assumed charge as the new Executive Officer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) which rather remains pestered with several pilgrim related problems.

Even though successive administrative heads have contributed their bit to address the difficulties of the devotees, the travails continue to persist allegedly due to lack of proper conceptualisation in hammering out a permanent solution. Ordinary devotees are rather subjected to gruelling waiting hours in the darshan lines as well as in the compartments. 

The access entry card system which enables a devotee to go out and report back at Vaikuntam queue complex at appropriate time (thus avoiding gruelling waiting hours) still lacks proper publicity. The anomalies in online issuing of Rs.300 darshan tickets have rather proved a bane for pilgrims. Devotees on unplanned trip to the temple town after incurring huge expenses en route are deprived of darshan even on normal days, in addition to the speculations of loss of revenue by the TTD. 

Middlemen, who run a parallel establishment atop Tirumala hills, both in darshan and accommodation in alleged connivance with TTD staff needs to be tamed. Further, private care-takers at various guest houses go unchallenged, providing a platform for middlemen, besides threatening the security of the religious institution that is already on the radar of militants. 

The management is also burdened with the long-time ‘squatters’ who refuse to move out from their positions. The previous administrations had a little success in relocating them as they bounced back to their earlier positions in no time. 

Oathtaking

 

Dr. D. Sambasiva Rao on Wednesday took charge as the Executive Officer of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). At a brief function organised inside the sanctum sanctorum of the hill shrine, he was administered the oath by the TTD’s JEO K.S. Srinivasa raju. Speaking to media later, Dr. Rao urged the employees to rededicate themselves in the service of the visiting devotees. No stone should be left unturned to make Tirumala into a smart religious city, he said. 

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Chief Justice offers prayers at Tirumala

Chief Justice of AP and Telangana High Court, Justice Kalyan Jyothi Sen Gupta, who is on a two-day pilgrimage to the sacred shrine on Sunday, offered prayers at the famous hill temple of Lord Venkateswara. On his arrival, he was received with temple honours by the temple priests and authorities. TTD’s JEO K.S. Srinivasa Raju, Dy EO C. Ramana and other officials received him. Later, amidst showering of Vedasirvachanams by the temple priests, the authorities presented him with the New Year Dairy, calendar, memento and Laddu prasadam of the deity. 

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RTI quizzes Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam on Lord Venkateswara’s debt

Tirupati: A rather strange RTI query has been made by an RTI activist to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam which administers the ancient temple of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala, seeking information on the status of loan borrowed by Lord Venkateswara from the God of wealth Lord Kubera at the time of his wedding to Goddess Padmavati devi.

While the temple administration is yet to respond to the RTI query, the RTI applicant T. Narasimha Murthy, a human rights activist based in Bangaluru has approached the Andhra Pradesh information commission with his appeal to direct the TTD to part with the information sought by him.

Speaking to this newspaper on Saturday, Mr Narasimha Murthy alleged that the TTD was trying to hoodwink the people with a mythological story. Stating that the temple administration which is only a mere custodian of the wealth of Lord Venkateswara.

Mr Murthy noted that TTD needs to be accountable to the devotees who contribute to its coffers. “While TTD is earning thousands of crores of rupees each year through the proceeds of hundi, sale of prasadam and darshan tickets, sale of human hair, accommodation and various other forms, how is it that Lord Venkateswara is still indebted to Kubera?” questioned the RTI activist.

Alleging that TTD has been all these years trying to hoodwink the devotees by stating that Lord Venkateswara is still paying back only interest for the principal amount he borrowed from Kubera from the proceeds of the Tirumala hundi, observed Mr  Murthy,  adding that the claims of the TTD was a complete farce and the systems  lacked transparency.

The RTI activist said that he was intrigued by the claims of the temple administration which prompted him to shoot of an RTI query to the TTD, seeking information to the loan borrowed by the Lord of the seven hills. Meanwhile, with the TTD not responding to his query for a long time, Mr Murthy filed an appeal under Sec 19(1) of the RTI Act.

Interest on loan till end of kaliyug:

Although the RTI query of  Narasimha Murthy seeking information from the TTD relating to the status of loan borrowed by Lord Venkateswara from Lord Kubera at the time of his wedding, has created a flutter in the TTD circles, the Lord of the riches is to repay interest on his loan to Lord Kubera till the Kaliyuga, according to Hindu mythology.

According to sources at the Tirumala temple and at Sri venkat-eswara vedic university, venkatachala mahatmy-am quotes that Lord Ven-kateswara an incarnation of Lord Sri Mahavishnu, after parting ways with his consort goddess Sri Mahalakshmi left Vaikuntam and reached Tirupati and continued to do penance in an anthill.

Later the impoverished Lord Venkateswara found solace under the care of his foster mother Vakula Devi. When the Lord fell in love with Goddess Padmavati Devi, the daug-hter of the then king Aka-sa Raja, the foster mother of Lord Venkateswara approached the king with the marriage proposal for the divine couple.

The King questioned Vakula Devi about the financial status of Lord Venkate-swara and the money they had for the wedding which would be attended by emperors, kings, devas and celestial beings from across the universe.

So Lord Venkateswara was forced to take a huge loan from Lord Kubera, in order to meet his wedding expenses. And while taking the loan from Kubera, the Lord had promised to pay interest to the loan till the end of Kaliyuga.

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TTD Mulls Time Slots for 'Darshan'

TIRUPATI: In a move that will bring relief to the pilgrims, The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is planning to devise ways for quicker ‘darshan’ of the Lord.

Delivering a lecture on ‘Operational Research in Temple Management’ on the  third day of an international conference at Sri Venkateswara University (SVU) here on Wednesday, TTD executive officer MG Gopal said due to the great efforts of the workforce in various departments especially the Statistics Department, the TTD administration was able to provide better facilities to pilgrims. “We have overcome several difficulties in providing the ‘darshan’ of Lord Venkateswara to thousands of pilgrims coming from various parts of the country,’’ he added.

Stating that TTD was going to bring about some changes on prediction of exact ‘darshan’ timing, he said that a devotee coming on foot would be informed about the the entry and exit timings. “After finishing all his or her works -- like tonsuring, parking or check-ins -- one would be given a particular time slot/period for ‘darshan’,’’ he said.

Murthy Remilla, a scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said TTD was at the end of ‘predictive analysis’ and will be soon get into ‘prescriptive analysis’. “From descriptive to predictive analysis, before, it was a very long journey for the TTD administration which has been facing new challenges. It has been trying to provide satisfactory ‘darshan’ for pilgrims by constantly upgrading its strategies,’’ he said. Keeping in view the future problems in terms of facilities, again the administration was looking for innovative ideas, he added.

Prof K Srinivas Rao, Department of Statistics, Andhra University, said that apart from providing better facilities, the psychological satisfaction of the pilgrim was very important. The devotees should have a peaceful ‘darshan’ and this was possible only one followed the rules made by the temple authorities.

Provost at the Woxsen School of Business, Hyderabad, Prof M R Rao, SVU vice-chancellor Prof W Rajendra and others were present.

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Queue flow predictability holds key to proper darshan

Can predictability of queue flow at Tirumala temple enable pilgrims to have proper darshan? “Yes,” said speakers at a special session on ‘Operations Research for Temple Management’ held at Sri Venkateswara University on Wednesday.

The session was part of the three-day international conference on ‘Operations Research for Big Data and Analytics’ jointly organised by the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Sri Venkateswara University (SVU), Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha (RSVP) and the Tirupati chapter of the Operations Research Society of India (ORSI). Addressing participants, TTD Executive Officer M.G. Gopal narrated the sequence of events before and after the implementation of online booking system for queue line recently.

The flow pattern had earlier been haphazard, initially involving the task of smoothing fluctuations. “The number of pilgrims entering queue lines was not similar even at a given hour on two successive Saturdays, which made us ponder over the need for scientific planning,” he said.

Based on an estimate indicating flow of 4,000 devotees an hour and with 16 to 17 hours a day at its disposal, the TTD management pegged the average number of devotees who could have comfortable darshan at 64,000. The TTD now issues 18,000 time slots a day for those planning darshan in a week, a fortnight and one day in advance. “In view of the low IT penetration levels, we also offer slots through our information centres and post offices,” Mr. Gopal he pointed out, expressing hope that the predictability factor could be infused even in the ‘Dharma Darshan’ queue line, which is meant for devotees who visit without advance planning.

ISRO scientist Murthy Remilla said his study on queue lines had moved to Stage II, i.e., from predictive to descriptive analysis.

Prof. K. Srinivasa Rao of Andhra University saw the need for a control system on generic stochastic flow of pilgrims. SVU Vice-Chancellor W. Rajendra, NAAC advisor N. Jayasankaran, ORSI president P. Rajasekhara Reddy and RSVP Registrar C. Umasankar spoke on the improved queue management systems at Tirumala.

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Donations pour in for TTD schemes

Donations poured in for various schemes sponsored by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) on Thursday. Prominent among the donors were Srinath, a noted industrialist from Visakhapatnam, who donated Rs. 11 lakh for TTD’s Nitya Annadanam. Ranganath Pratap from Chennai, besides the executives of Salem based SKA Dairy Foods India Limited, donated Rs.10 lakh each to the Balaji Institute of Surgery, Research and Rehabilitation for the Disabled (BIRRD) trust and annadanam schemes.

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Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams expects Rs 220 crore from hair sale

Tirupati: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, which set itself a target of `220 crore from the sale of human hair for  2014-15, is gearing up for global auction of stock piles on  December 24.

 

The TTD for the financial year 2014-15 had approved its annual Budget to the tune of Rs 2,401 crore with a major chunk of the revenue expected from the ‘Hundi collections’ estimated to be around Rs 900 crore.

 

The TTD expects to reap rich dividends through the sale of human hair to the tune of RS 220 crores. Looking back at the revenues through sale of human hair in the last five years, it is found that the TTD netted revenue of RS 96 crore in 2009-10, Rs 98.7 crore in 2010-11, RS 163.16 crore in 2011-12, Rs 205.63 crore in 2012-13 and RS 239.68 crore in 2013-14.

 

In the two auctions held this financial year, the TTD placed 1.14 lakh kg of various varieties of human hair for auction in May through the MSTC e-auction platform. Only 33,400 kg were sold, while 80,600 kg remained unsold. The TTD netted revenue of Rs 41.10 crore then. And in the e-auctions held in September, of the 2,08,700 kg placed for auction, only 46,800 kg were bid, while stocks to the extent of 1,61,900 kg remained unsold.

 

In September, the TTD netted revenue of Rs 63.98 crore through the sale of human hair. While the TTD has just reached the half way mark by netting an income of Rs 105.08 crore in the last two e-auctions held, the TTD officials are going for the e-auction again on December 24.

 

According to official sources, 2,34,615 kg stocks of various varieties of human hair including grey hair are available with the TTD as on October 31, which are to be put to auction. Not perturbed with the quantum of unsold stocks in the last two e-auctions, the TTD officials haven’t altered the prices of the stocks much.

 

Minting money: Rates of hair in the Global auction on December 24

 

1. First variety (31'' and above)       - Rs  25,560 per kg

2. Second variety (16''-30'' approx) - Rs 18,856 per kg

3. Third variety (10''-15'' approx)   - Rs 6,501 per kg

4. Fourth variety (5''-9'' approx)     - Rs 5,457 per kg

5. Fifth variety (Below 5'')               - Rs 37 per kg

6. Grey hair                                   - Rs 9,425 per kg

Nita Ambani may be TTD board member

HYDERABAD: At least 30 names, including that of Nita Ambani, are in the list of probables to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) executive board, which is likely to be constituted in the next few days by Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu.

Out of the over 1,200 applications received for TTD board membership, the authorities selected 30 names that were to be whetted by the intelligence department. Apart from Nita Ambani from the Reliance Group, others in contention include film director K Raghavendra Rao, actor Shivaji and AP BJP spokesperson G Bhanuprakash Reddy. "Top BJP leaders, including Amit Shah and Union minister Sadanand Gowda, have recommended names from other parts of the country. All of them are being considered," sources told TOI.

Normally, there is hectic lobbying for the post of TTD chairman. However, this time around, the name of only one aspirant, TDP senior leader Chadalawada Krishnamurthy from Chittoor district, is doing the rounds.

The TTD board normally, has 15 members, including the chairman. Naidu is believed to have increased it to 18 this time, keeping in mind the existence of a new Telugu-speaking state in the form of Telangana. Apart from the 18-member board, the TTD management is likely to comprise a commissioner.

The previous temple management was headed by Kanimuri Bapiraju and its tenure was till August 24 this year. However, the TDP regime ended the tenure a few days before and brought the TTD administration under a specified authority headed by endowments principal secretary J C Sharma.

The delay in the announcement of the new TTD executive board was because of the pressure from BJP as well as the huge number of aspirants from within the TDP, the sources said. "Because of that, Naidu has decided to reduce the tenure of the temple board from the current two years to one year," they added.

Mahinda Rajapaksa to worship at Tirumala, Tamil groups protest

Chennai: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is likely to worship at the Tirumala Venkateswara temple on Wednesday following the advice of his astrologer for strengthening winning chances in the Presidential poll on January 8. He is arriving at Tirupati on Tuesday evening and will offer special prayers at the world-famous Balaji shrine the following morning.

Responding to media reports to this effect, PMK founder Dr S. Ramadoss has demanded that the Government of India should withdraw its permission to President Rajapaksa to visit the country as he was responsible for the slaughter of 1.5 lakh innocent Tamils.“Nothing can hurt us, Tamils, more than this honour to this murderer, letting him worship at Tirupati with full temple honours despite his role in destroying over 2000 Hindu temples in Eelam.

Already the Indian government has failed to meet the expectations of Tamils world over that it would initiate steps to punish Rajapaksa for war crimes. On the other hand, the Centre has been inviting him to attend all the important events here”, said the PMK chief. MDMK general secretary Vaiko has announced black-flag demonstration against Rajapaksa in Tirupati.

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TTD gears up for Vaikunta Ekadasi, New Year day

The TTD administration seems to be drudging under pressure with the auspicious Vaikunta Ekadashi (the most important Sri Vaishnavite festival) coinciding with the New Year day – the two occasions on which the temple town rather witnesses a tumultuous turnout in the pilgrim crowd.

As the day on which Vaikunta Ekadasi and the New Year day befall happens to be Thursday, Vaikunta Dwadasi is observed on the following day on Friday. On both the days the temple administration is left with limited darshan hours as it has to facilitate the observance of special rituals like ‘Maha suddhi’ on the previous day and the weekly ‘abhishekam’ on the following day. While the management is constrained and left with only 19 ‘darshan’ hours on January 1 wherein it can supposedly clear a crowd of over 60,000 pilgrims the situation stands more precarious on the succeeding day with just 18 hours at its disposal.

Reviewing the arrangement with the Heads of various Departments and senior officials on Saturday, the Tirumala-based TTD JEO K.S. Srinivasa Raju appealed to the devout to take cognizance of the constraints and cooperate with the management and see it through the litmus-test. Separate committees with senior officials shall be constituted for ‘darshan’ and accommodation for the convenience of the visiting pilgrims. Both the ghat roads will be kept open round-the-clock on both the days of the festival period and ‘annadanam’ will be organised on both the footpaths leading to Tirumala.

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Battle for seva of Lord Balaji

HYDERABAD: The management of the Tirumala temple has so far been the exclusive domain of the state of Andhra Pradesh. But in a move that aims to reduce AP's hold and give other states some say, the Bharatiya Janata Party is actively lobbying for members of the governing board of Tirumala Tirupati Devesthanams (TTD) to be appointed from other states like Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

According to high-level sources, BJP president Amit Shah has communicated to AP chief minister Chandrababu Naidu that a member each from Maharashtra and Gujarat should be nominated to the TTD board. After Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, devotees from Maharashtra turn up in large numbers for darshan of the Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala, while those from Gujarat too make up a significant number. The unstated reason for the BJP's interest is clear: From being a regional destination of Hindu pilgrims, the temple has acquired national and international stature. The saffron party's argument is that Tirumala attracts devotees from across the country and, therefore, those from other states should also have a say in the administration of the temple affairs.

The TTD board comprises 18 members and it is the prerogative of the state administration to appoint any one of its choice. "After Naidu took over, he has been facing tremendous pressure from several TDP leaders to appoint them as members. But in the last few weeks, the BJP too has entered the picture and wants a big say in the nominations" said sources in the know of things.

The problem for Naidu is that there are more than 200 aspirants for the 18 member posts. "Apart from AP, traditionally, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are represented in the board. From this year, Telangana too needs to be accommodated. Now, Amit Shah wants members to be included from Maharashtra and Gujarat. It is going to be a tough task for Naidu to finalize the names," these sources said. Board members are able to not only influence policies, but also can ensure favoured pilgrims easy entry to the temple that teems with huge crowds throughout the year.

But what is upsetting the Naidu camp is that the BJP wants to play a role in the TTD administration. "The saffron party has already secured the endowments portfolio in the AP government. And apart from the BJP chief, central minister Sadanand Gowda too has recommended a name to be appointed to the TTD board," the sources said.

Sadanand Gowda wants Subbaraju, a Telugu settled in Bangalore, to be included in the board. The AP unit of the BJP has proposed the names of party spokesperson G Bhanuprakash Reddy and Tadepalligudem MLA Akula Satyanarayana to be made members. Others in the race include industrialists, filmworld bigwigs and spiritual gurus. Among the key aspirants for the chairman post is TDP's own Chadalavada Krishnamurthy.

AP endowments minister P Manikyala Rao told TOI that Naidu will take a call on the new TTD executive board. According to the sources, the revamp will take place by the third week of December.The tenure of the last TTD board headed by Kanimuri Bapiraju was till August 24, 2014, but Chandrababu Naidu ended it a few days before that and handed over the Tirumala temple administration to a specified authority headed by endowments principal secretary J C Sharma.

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2 Lakh Take Holy Dip on 'Panchami Theertham'

TIRUPATI: The serene waters of the spacious, clean and tidy Padmasarovaram-the temple tank at Padmavati temple in Tiruchanoor turned into a sea of humanity on Thursday with about two lakh pilgrims from across the country visiting the shrine and taking holy bath on the occasion of Panchami Theertham.

With this grand sacred bath ceremony, the nine-day annual Karthika Brahmotsavams of Goddess Padmavathi, the presiding deity of Tiruchanoor came to an end.

The religious occasion of Panchami Theertham marks the auspicious birthday and celebration of the manifestation of Sri Padmavati Devi in a Golden Lotus in Padma Sarovaram on Sukla Panchami of Karthika month.

Snapana Thirumanjanam (celestial bath with milk, honey, turmeric, coconut water) to Sri Sudarshana Chakrattalwar and the processional deity of Goddess Padmavathi  has been performed in a colourful manner in the tastefully decorated mandapam facing Padma Sarovaram.

The Goddess who was draped in a half white silk saree with gold colour zari and embossed work, appeared graceful on Her birthday in the asterism of Uttarashada on which Panchami Theertham is conducted every year, coinciding the advent of star.

The Goddess was decorated with the special ornaments made of large size emeralds that were brought from Tirumala shrine as a ‘Birthday Gift’ from Her Lord Sri Venkateswara. After the end of the hour-long ritual, Sri Sudarshana Chakram was taken into Padma Pushkarini for a holy dip at 11.45 am.

Thousands of devotees who have been waiting for this auspicious moment since morning took a holy dip in the temple tank as the entire premises echoed with the chanting of divine Govinda Nama and Goddess Namas.

Over 50,000 pilgrims have been served with free breakfast and meals in Tholappa Gardens, Ayyappa temple and at SV High School on the final day alone with sambar rice, curd rice and chakkara pongali. While over two lakh people were served Annaprasadams during all these nine days.

After the completion of the annual Karthika Brahmotsavams, the AP Governor ESL Narasimhan and TTD EO MG Gopal complimented the joint efforts of various departments of TTD under the supervision of Tirupati JEO P Bhaskar in executing the event in an efficient way. The EO also thanked the local public representatives and pilgrims for their cooperation.

Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana  ESL Narasimhan, TTD EO MG Gopal, JEOs KS Sreenivasa Raju and P Bhaskar, former TTD chairman K Bapiraju and special grade  deputy EO Chenchu Lakshmi were present.

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‘Rathotsavam’ enthrals devotees

Goddess dons attire of ‘Sarva Swatantra Vara Lakshmi’

Goddess Sri Padmavathi Devi, dressed as ‘Sarva Swatantra Vara Lakshmi’, was taken out for a celestial ride around the four mada streets encircling the temple, on the penultimate day of annual ‘Karthika Brahmotsavams’ in Tiruchanur here on Wednesday.

The Goddess, dressed in pearl studded robes, was seated on the colourfully decorated wooden chariot during the fête, as devotees flocked to pull the rope of the mammoth chariot. On the occasion, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) made elaborate security arrangements with the help of police, ‘Srivari Sevakulu’ and vigilance sleuths to prevent any untoward incidents during the procession.

The ritual of ‘Ratharohanam’ was observed in the auspicious Tula Lagnam between 5.40 a.m. and 6 a.m., while the dragging of the chariot (Rathotsavam) began at 7.10 a.m. and lasted for nearly four hours. The name of the Goddess — ‘Sarva Swatantra Vara Lakshmi’ — signifies that Sri Padmavathi Devi is the Supreme deity and can execute Her duties with aplomb, even in the absence of the Lord.

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TTD Asks SPF to Post Hindus on Tirumala

TIRUPATI: In the wake of increasing incidents of proselytisation on the sacred Tirumala Hills, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), is making serious attempts to curb the same by using all possible options. After shifting the TTD employees belonging to other religions other than Hindus down the Hills, the TTD now wrote a letter to the Special Protection Force (SPF) not to post any of its employees belonging to other religions to serve in TTD, it is learnt.

Though there is a ban on propagation of other religious activities on the hill shrine for a long time, the Hills are witnessing the same incidents, time and again.

To overcome the problem, the TTD first began revamping its own administration by shifting employees of other religions working on Tirumala to other departments based in Tirupati. And, now, it extended the same idea to other departments and  sent a requisition to SPF officials not to depute police personnel belonging to other religions on Tirumala.

“Though we are not suspicious that those employees from other religions support proselytisation on the Hills, we wrote a letter to SPF authorities  to request them not to depute other religious persons to TTD for not giving scope for any such instances in the future,’’ said a TTD official.

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Telangana seeks Tirupati cash share

Hyderabad, Nov. 26: Telangana has demanded a share in the past revenues of the Tirupati temple, the country’s richest shrine located in Andhra Pradesh, signalling another point of contention stemming from the bifurcation.

The TRS government declared in the Assembly today that it would strive to get its estimated share of Rs 241 crore from a charitable fund to which the temple authorities owed dues over the past 10 years.

The Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which runs the shrine, need not share its revenues with Telangana under the AP Reorganisation Act, the bifurcation law. But the provision is effective only from June this year, leaving open the scope for claims related to earlier allocations.

Replying to queries in the Assembly today, Telangana minister T. Harish Rao said that according to the latest CAG report, the TTD owed Rs 576 crore to the “Common Good Fund” between 2003 and 2014. “Of this, Telangana’s share is around Rs 241 crore and we demand that the Chandrababu Naidu government (of Andhra) speed up the reimbursement,” said Harish Rao.

The demand was raised by a BJP legislator, K. Lakshman. Andhra’s endowment ministry, which will decide the claim, is also headed by a BJP legislator, P. Manikyala Rao.

The “Common Good Fund” was a corpus to which the TTD was required to contribute under law, with the state paying a matching amount. The money was meant for a variety of religious and charitable purposes, such as sprucing up pilgrimages and refurbishing temples and mosques.

The TRS government plans to develop Yadagirigutta, a shrine 40km from Hyderabad, into the “Tirupati” of Telangana”. Visiting the temple a few weeks ago, chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had announced a Rs 100-crore plan to develop guesthouses, gateways and other tourism facilities aimed at upgrading the centre into a Tirupati-like hub. Yadagirigutta’s presiding deity is Narasimhaswami, an avatar of Vishnu like Lord Venkateshwara of Tirupati.

The TTD, the temple board, has been placed under Schedule 7 of the AP Reorganisation Act. This covers items in which Telangana cannot claim a share, but it does not have retrospective effect. Funds worth Rs 31,000 crore are mentioned in this schedule, a finance department official said.

Schedule 8 of the law lists items in which Telangana has a share but the total amount in this is lesser at Rs 25,000 crore, the official added.

The Tirupati temple has an annual budget of Rs 2,400 crore. It has Rs 8,500 crore in fixed deposits, 12 tonnes of gold — including ornaments — belonging to the deity and another three tonnes collected from devotees’ donations in the hundis. The TTD has provided financial assistance to several other shrines, including 42 in Telangana and 61 in Andhra.

 

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Goddess in Krishna Avatar on Day 6

TIRUPATI : Goddess Padmavathi Devi, dressed up as Utla Krishna, went around the four-mada streets of the temple town on Monday, the sixth day of Karthika Brahmotsavams at Tiruchanoor Temple here.

The attire of the Goddess resembled that of Lord Krishna. Richly decorated in colourful robes and with a peacock feather on her crown, the Goddess blessed the devotees on Sarva Bhupala Vahanam. The Goddess, in guise of her love, depicted that she is the supreme ruler of all the worlds in the cosmos. The Goddess halted for a few minutes in Gangundra Mantapam, an ancient hall constructed some 150 years ago.

‘Cleanliness Crucial’

Top priority should be given to cleanliness in Tirumala as cleanliness is considered next to godliness, said TTD specified authority chairman J C Sharma. Reviewing the Swachh Tirumala programme on Monday along with the Health Department, Sharma said, “It is a unique programme taken in the interest of keeping Tirumala and its surroundings clean and hygienic.”

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Padmavati Rides on Surya Prabha Vahanam

TIRUPATI: Goddess Padmavati took a pleasure ride on the glittering ‘Surya Prabha Vahanam’ in the guise of Panduranga Swamy on Tuesday on the seventh day of the ongoing annual ‘Karthika Brahmotsavams’ at Tiruchanoor.

On a bright sunny morning, the Goddess charmed Her devotees seated atop the vahanam as Panduranga Swamy with some marbles tied to one side of the vehicle (as if playing folk game ‘Gillankodi’ where in marbles are hit with a stick) and a conch on the other side.

Among all the vehicle processions, ‘Surya Prabha Vahanam’ has a unique place as the sun-god controls the affairs of the entire universe and represents the three Vedas -- Rig, Yajur and Sama  -- and therefore he is known as Trayimaya, the form of Lord Narayana. He is also called Surya Narayana.

Puranas describe the chariot of Sun God thus: Its size is estimated to be 3,600,000 ‘yojanas’ (28,800,000 miles) long and about 900,000 ‘yojanas’ (7,200,000 miles) wide.  The sun-god traverses a distance of 95,100,000 ‘yojanas’ (760,800,000 miles) at the speed of 2,000 ‘yojanas’ and two ‘krosas’ (16,004 miles) in a second.

Goddess Padmavati, appearing in all Her splendour, seemed proud to be riding on the Surya Prabha Vahanam, which was decorated with bright red Vrukshi flowers (Ixora) and blessing the devotees.  TTD officials and a number of devotees participated in the procession.

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Avail Tirumala tickets through ‘Sunayasam’: CPG

Efforts are on to deliver parcels within 12 hours in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam

Chief Postmaster General B.V. Sudhakar has said that 23 new services have been introduced in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana States under the ‘Sunayasam’ scheme under which people can obtain the darshan tickets of Tirumala shrine.

Speaking to the media after taking part in the ‘Swachh Bharat’ campaign, the CPG said that the people now could know the status of their letters through GPS system under the ‘Nanyatha’ scheme, adding that it was the first-of-its-kind service in the country that had been launched in the State.

He said that consultations were held with the Telangana government on sale of non-judicial stamps through Postal Department and response from the government was positive. Efforts were underway to obtain permission from the AP Government in this regard.

Mr. Sudhakar said that steps were being taken to deliver parcels within 12 hours and efforts were on to extend these services in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam very soon.

He informed that insurance facility had been provided to RD accounts and insurance amount would be paid to the family in the event of the account holder’s accidental death.

He said that “My Stamp” was placed in the public domain. The CPG revealed that the department had earned Rs. 30 lakh by selling old records in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts.

Earlier, Mr. Sudhakar took part in ‘Swachh Bharat’ campaign at postal quarters in Rajahmundry and planted saplings. 

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Hair donation business at Tirumala: What really happens when you donate your hair?

India is a superstitious country, where everyday thousands of devotees make unusual offerings to god. This story is about the Dwarka Tirumala temple. Devotees pray and in exchange they promise to donate or offer something special to god. In this temple, people offer hair on every Saturday and there are about 95 barbers who shave the heads of devotees.

The video shows that the devotees have actually no idea what is done to their hair once it is chopped off. What they know is it is offered to god and that’s all. They have no idea about the business of hair.

This hair is processed and transported to Indian Hair Industries Pvt. Ltd. For Vanka Ravindranath, founder of the company, the products are a source of pride. The hair is properly washed, dried and categorised or sorted according to colour and length. At least 3,000 workers are involved in the process.

The processed hair is accumulated and stored by the Tirumala temple, which is later exported across the globe. The shaved hair is used to make wigs and hair extensions, and people from other side of the globe are ready to pay any price for the blond hair wigs. The temple earns millions of dollars every year out of this.

Here is the video which is actually an interesting piece of knowledge. Watch the untold story about the donation of hair in Indian temples!

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Pilgrims oppose online tickets for Tirumala temple darshan

Tirumala temple. (Photo: DC)

Tirupati: The TTD proposal to streamline darshan at Tirumala has hit a roadblock. The temple administration, which said it focused its attention on reducing the waiting time in the queue for devotees, introduced Internet and e-darshan quota for Rs 300 a few months ago.

Soon after its introduction, the temple administration began increasing the number of tickets issued under the Internet and e-Darshan quota while the current booking quota under which tickets are issued to devotees on a first come first serve basis was gradually reduced to a small number. Though this has actually served the purpose by reducing the waiting time in the queues, those who reach Tirumala without an advanced booking (internet or e-darshan) and want to have the darshan, through a Rs 300 special entry, are denied an opportunity because the administration streamlined the systems.

Besides this, another decision of the TTD, which is drawing flak from the visiting devotees in the recent times, is the cancellation of 'Divya darshan' during the weekends. The very reason this darshan format was introduced by the TTD a few years ago was to ensure a seperate darshan queue line existed for those devotees who trek up the Tirumala hills along the two pedestrian routes of Alipiri and 'Srivari Mettu' as a mark of reciprocation to their devotion.

But as the pilgrim crowds trekking up the hills shot up after TTD linked a provision for darshan for the trekking devotees, TTD took a decision recently to suspend issuance of 'Divya darshan' tickets to the trekking devotees during the weekends when crowds go up. But with the curbs being imposed by the TTD during weekends, pilgrims are literally left with just two options for the darshan of Lord Venkateswara which are the 'Sarvadarshan' and the Rs 50 darshan systems and as such serpentine queuelines have yet again become the order of the day at Tirumala, which is drawing criticism for the temple administration from the devotees at large.

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‘Prabhai’ for Namperumal at Srirangam

Artisans working on preparing the 'prabai' to adorn Srirangam Sri Ranganathaswamy temple. Photo: B.Velankanni Raj

A ‘prabhai’ also referred to as ‘maha thoranam’ to adorn Namperumal during processions is being made at Srirangam Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. 

The ‘prabhai’, being made of teakwood, measures 42 inches in height and 20 inches in breadth. 

Work on the ‘prabhai’ commenced a month ago and will be completed before the forthcoming Vaikunta Ekadasi festival according to sthapathi R.T. Selvarj. The ‘prabhai’ is being designed in accordance with Vaishnavite agama stipulations and will reflect the Chola model.

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‘Safe City Tirupati ’ campaign to ease traffic congestion

SP Gopinath Jatti releasing pamphlets on traffic rules in Tirupati on Thursday. Photo: K.V. Poornachandra Kumar

‘A CCTV Surveillance System, with latest technologies, will be set up by November end to keep a track on traffic and other law and order issues’

In an attempt to ease the traffic congestion in the temple city and ensure denizens’ adherence to traffic rules, Traffic Police of the Tirupati Urban District have come up with a novel programme named – ‘Safe City Tirupati’. 

Interacting with the media here on Thursday, Tirupati Urban Superintendent of Police Gopinath Jatti emphasised on the need of an effective regulation of traffic in the city, which witnessed a steady flow of pilgrims, everyday. “The city's roads are used by the residents as well as the devotees, who arrive to have a darshan of Lord Venkateswara. Few changes will be made to the existing traffic conditions to ensure a smooth vehicular movement on the roads,” he said. 

Pointing out to the changes in the current traffic set-up, Mr. Jatti advised the people to follow the signs and roadblocks. He also urged them to carry driving license, registration certificate, third-party insurance and pollution certificate.

Mr. Jatti also said that they would set up a CCTV Surveillance System, with latest technologies, by November end to keep a track on traffic and other aspects of law and order. 

Later, Mr. Jatti flagged off two campaign vehicles (auto-rickshaws) which would travel through all the important junctions in the city, elucidating denizens on the traffic rules and regulations.

Besides this, banners will also be put up at important junctions and pamphlets would be distributed to the people.

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Grand start to ‘Karthika Brahmotsavams’

Priests perform rituals; 20 ragas rendered with nadaswaram

‘Karthika Brahmotsavams’, the much awaited annual fête of Goddess Padmavathi Devi at Tiruchanur, commenced on a grand note with the auspicious ‘Dhwajaroahana Mahotsavam’ signalling the start of the nine-day event. 

The event began during the designated ‘Dhanur Lagnam' (between 9.16 a.m. and 9.30 a.m.), as the priests hoisted the 'Gaja Pathakam' – a flag bearing the image of divine elephant atop ‘Dhwajasthambam’ (flag post), amid the rhythmic beats of traditional drums and trumpets accompanied by rendering of Vedic hymns as per Pancharathra Agama.

Chief Agama Scholar and Kanakana Bhattar Sri Manikantha Swamy, in adherence to the age-old tradition, carried out the rituals (as per Pancharatra Agama) by reciting hymns and inviting the deities including ‘Asthadikpalakas’, Devendra invoking Garuda-Viswaksena and Anantha to take part in the religious ceremony. 

‘Astadikpalaka Kainkaryam’, ‘Bheri Tandavam’ and ‘Asthanam’ were performed and as many as 20 ragas were rendered with Nadaswaram including Sriraga, Sankarabharanam, Natabhairavi, Mohana, 

Punnagavarali, Kalyani, Varali, Goula, Todi and several others to propitiate the deities. Meanwhile, the presiding deity of Goddess Padmavathi was tastefully decorated with dazzling jewels and silk costumes befitting the occasion while the processional deity donned a new attire and glittering jewels and was seated on a special ‘asan’ during the ritual. 

The entire temple complex was decorated with rare and resplendent flowers, both traditional and exotic varieties. Minister for Environment and Forests Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy presented silk robes to the Goddess Padmavathi on the occasion. Chandragiri MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy, TTD EO M.G. Gopal, JEO Pola Bhaskar, former TTD Board chairman K. Bapiraju and others took part. 

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Sale of 'Sheeghra Darshan' Tickets Through Post Offices

TIRUMALA: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) proposes to sell the Rs 300 ‘Sheeghra Darshan’ tickets through post offices. It is set to finalise the deal with India Post in this regard on Tuesday.

The sale of these ‘darshan’ tickets at the post offices is in addition to their online sale. These two modes of sale will help the pilgrims save a lot of time. They can plan their pilgrimage to Tirumala as per the ‘darshan’ timings printed on the tickets.

It has been observed that at least 50 per cent of the pilgrims purchasing tickets at Tirumala are those seeking the Rs 300 ‘Sheeghra Darshan’ tickets and sometimes they have to wait for long hours in the queue for buying the tickets.

The TTD is getting a new software developed exclusively for the sale of the Rs 300 ‘Sheeghra Darshan’ tickets online and also through the post offices. It has been trying to sign an MoU with India Post for some months now.

TTD JEO (Tirumala) KS Srinivasaraju will meet additional director (Marketing), Hyderabad Postal Circle Suryanarayana and Tirupati Circle Postal Superintendent PVVSN Sarma  on Tuesday to finalise the deal.

According to the sources, the TTD has decided to sell 5,000 tickets though the post offices in the first phase. Later, it would enhance the volume of sales by another 5,000 tickets after sorting out the teething problems.

The 5,000 tickets in the first phase will be available only in AP and Telangana.

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Gold plated Padma Peetam offered

Sri City Managing Director Ravindra Sannareddy (left) offers the ‘Padma Peetham’ to TTD’s Joint Executive Officer K.S. Sreenivasa Raju at Tiruchanur temple in Tirupati on Monday, ahead of Sri Padmavathi Ammavari Brahmotsavams.

Noted industrialist and managing director of Sri City Ravisanna Reddy on Monday offered gold plated Padma Peetam worth Rs. 32 lakh to the temple of goddess Padmavathi ammavaru at Tiruchanoor. Tirumala based TTD JEO K.S. Srinivasa Raju said over 1 kg of gold and 40 kgs of copper has gone in, in the making of the peetam. He said the peetam will be utilised during the procession of the deity on Tiruchi vahanam.

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