Swine flu scare turns a boon for Tirumala pilgrims

Posted by SRINU GUNTURU | | Posted On Sunday, September 27, 2009 at 8:56 PM

Thousands of common pilgrims had a close darshan of the Lord on Friday as the rush dwindled for Brahmotsavams, primarily due to swine flu scare. What’s more, many of them could catch a glimpse of the expensive ‘Abhishekam’ darshan for the first time in their lives. Worried over the low pilgrim turnout at the temple for the Brahmotsavams, the TTD top brass directed officials to allow common pilgrims to have a close darshan, about 30 ft away, from the presiding deity instead of the usual ‘Maha Laghu’ darshan during which the devout could only catch a glimpse of the Lord from as far as 60 ft away.
On a trial basis, the TTD allowed nearly 1,000 common pilgrims during the time of ‘Abhishekam.’ This weekly seva when booked in advance costs Rs 750 per ticket, while under discretionary quota it is pegged at Rs 2,500 per ticket. However, it is difficult to even buy this ticket as the seva has been booked by pilgrims till 2025. “Thanks to the TTD officials, common pilgrims like us could witness the seva,” a pilgrim from Coimbatore said. According to temple officials, over 2.5 lakh pilgrims had a hassle-free darshan in the last four days.
Sources said because of the swine flu scare in metros like Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad, the flow of VIPs to the temple town for the Brahmotsavams has considerably come down. “However, the common pilgrims continue to swarm the temple in big numbers. They were lucky to have a good darshan of the Lord in the last four days,” a senior official said.
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