Visit to Lord Balaji's abode at Tirumala Tirupati

I have commenced this blog after returning from a visit to Tirupati yesterday, so it is only apt that I start with a post on my trip to the Lord's abode.

This was my third visit to Tirupati. The first was after my marriage where we hardly had any time to know what was happening around us. The second was for the mundan ceremony of my first child and that too passed away with little time to understand the setting. This third visit of mine for the mundan ceremony of my second child was far more enlightening. To begin with, I was amazed by the scale and grandeur of the entrance to the abode.

It was one of the grandest entrances that I have seen and was truly spectacular. As we progressed on our journey to Tirumala, I was struck by the roads which were so neat and tidy and, to top it all, there were no potholes at all. The concerned department must be working very hard to ensure this.

I also for the first time in my life saw the sign "No Open Urination - Fine Rs. 25". It was mind boggling to see such a sign in our country where this practice is so prevalent. At least the major cities could take a cue from this.

On reaching our destination I was fascinated by the use of technology to root out corruption. At the local TTD counter in our city I booked a room online. The clerk took my photo using a webcam and my fingerprint using a scanner. When I reached Tirumala, my details were already in the system and after verification my room was allotted.

Such a wonderful system obviously leaves very little scope for middlemen, agents or touts in room allotment. Though not everything can be perfect, the effort was clearly visible.

Then there was the mundan ceremony where the waiting time in the free Kalyanakatta was upwards of six hours. The temple administration had opened a few more Kalyanakattas which charged a nominal fee of Rs. 10. We managed the ceremony in about half an hour.

Thereafter we went for darshan. It was heartening to see that the administration had commenced a separate darshan for children below one year of age along with their parents called Supadham Darshan. Incidentally, Supadham Darshan is also available for Defence personnel, TTD employees, newlyweds and NRIs.

Inside the queue there was a fair amount of pushing and pulling, but once we entered the temple the rush became overwhelming. The day I went I realised how stampedes take place during religious processions. People who had waited for seven to ten hours could not wait another few minutes for peaceful darshan.

The sight of the Lord was divine and I was mesmerised for the few seconds that I could stand before Him.

Thereafter I was gently moved aside by a temple usher and I came out looking for the Hundi. Outside I saw the huge signs reading “Srivari Hundi” and offered my prayers there. After collecting the prasadam and laddus, I was impressed by another thoughtful arrangement.

Every laddu counter displayed the official weight of the laddu and digital weighing machines had been installed outside each counter so that devotees could verify the weight if required. This again reflected efficient use of technology and transparency.

The collection of the laddus technically marked the completion of our sojourn and we returned to our room after dinner. Meals are not available in many of the guest houses and one often has to rely on nearby restaurants which are usually crowded though reasonably priced.

The temple also serves free meals to thousands of devotees every day through Annadanam. I also noticed refreshments being distributed free of cost to devotees standing in the queue.

All in all, I returned from this trip as a happy man. Whatever little misconceptions I had about malpractices in Tirupati management were reasonably dispelled by what I observed during this visit. I certainly look forward to my next trip.

Many Bouquets - Just one brick bat

BOUQUETS

1. Accommodation.      There was absolutely no corruption whatsoever in room allotment when booked online.  The use of simple but efficient & effective technology to achieve the same is praise worthy.

2. Special entries.      The various special entries provided shows that the devasthanam cares for its people and is sensitive to their different needs, with they specifically being:-

(a)  Supadham entry.    This entry is for children less than one year old (along with mother n father

only  they dont permit two gents or two ladies in lieu), Defence personnel, TTD employees, NRI's and

Newly Weds. Like I mentioned earlier, it was nice of TTD board to extend this facility to these categories

especially the Defence as they are guarding our country's borders and therefore may have limited time.

(b)  Senior Citizens.     As already mentioned there is a fair amount of pushing and pulling in the crowd which may be unsafe for senior citizens to undergo for about 6 hours in the line.  Therefore, Senior citizens have a seperate entry directly into the temple which may take them upto 30 -60 minutes for Darshan.

(c) Handycapped.  They have an entry similar to Senior citizens.

(d) Pedestrian Entry.   A particularly thoughtful entry for people who climb up the steps to reach Tirumala.  Again Technology is used here where a token is issued mid way to the pedestrians bearing their photograph which is used as a pass for entry into through this special gate.

3.  Free/Subsidised accommodation.    Fully free change/rest rooms are provided at Tirupati and Free waiting areas are provided at Tirumala.  Subsidised accommodation starting from Rs/-50 per day are available for the economically weaker to make use of.

4.  Free Food.  Food is provided free of cost as 'Anna Danam' to all the devotees. It is reported that an average of 30-40,000 people are fed daily.

5.  Free 'Mundan'.   For those who cant afford to pay, free 'Mundan' service is also provided which ofcourse takes a longer time.

6.  Free Bus service.   Continuous bus service upto midnight is available free of cost from locations to/from the temple.

7.  Rates of food served in the private restaurants.    They are well regulated to remain in economical limits.

8.  Greenery and upkeep.  The Greenery and upkeep of the roads enroute the temple was praise worthy.

FEW HUMBLE SUGGESTIONS

                                                               

1.  Restaurants.   A few more restaurants could be opened to deal with the heavy rush during peak hours.  One/Two restaurants similar to the one run by APTDC in srinivasa complex at Tirupati could be planned as the quality and the price were good.

2.  The Start point of Queue's.  I have seen several people searching for the start point of the various Queue's VIZ Dharma darsanam, Rs/- 50 ticket and the Rs/-300 tickets. TTD may consider a few sign boards.

LASTLY ONE BRICK BAT

There is only one but it needs to be mentioned as it is a very important one i.e Sanitation.  The cleanliness of the Toilets leaves much to be desired. This is one aspect on which TTD should spend a lot of money (without wanting any returns) in employing staff and equipment to make sure that devotees especially women have access to clean and hygienic toilets both in the long queue's as well ouside in Tirumala.

SUMMING UP

All in all, I could see that the TTD is doing its best to uphold the Hindu values and instill the same in all the visiting devotees. In addition they are trying to sustain the poor people making this pilgrimage by providing subsidised accommodation and free food which is a noble gesture. They also as I understand provide subsidised education in the various universities/colleges established by them. I hope and pray to Lord Balaji that the focus at the TTD remains on these aspects only in the years to come and not give rise to any controversies.