Day-1 at Tirumala shrine sees coffers fill up with Rs 2.5m in offerings

The world’s richest Hindu shrine managed by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) saw offerings to the tune of Rs 25.7 lakh pour in on Monday, when its doors were opened for the devotees, about 80 days after they were shut in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The first day saw around 6,000 devotees, comprising TTD employees and their family members, lining up for a darshan of the presiding deity. TTD has earmarked the first three days for employees and their families, in a kind of test run before the general public are allowed inside the premises from June 11.

A temple official, on condition of anonymity, said that the cash accruals through hundi offerings made by the devotees, comprising TTD employees and their families, were counted on Tuesday and found to total a little over Rs 25 lakh.

With the temple getting closed on account of the nationwide lockdown, the subsequent lack of pilgrim footfall and donations had resulted in a cash crunch at the TTD. Prior to the lockdown, the temple, located in Andhra Pradesh, used to attract around 60,000 pilgrims on an average per day.

The TTD has decided to limit the entry to 6,000 devotees per day in order to ensure compliance with the Covid-19 protocols of physical distancing.