The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), custodian of the globally renowned Lord Venkateswara temple, on Saturday condemned a section of media houses for publishing fake news of the temple body and creating confusion among devotees.

“A section of media tried to create confusion among devotees,” said a TTD official and termed those media reports as void of facts.

He clarified and asserted that TTD did not cease any free services in Tirumala and brought more details.

According to the temple body, there were 176 counters in Tirumala prior to March 2020, issuing laddus (consecrated sweet), darshan (visit) tokens, SSD counters, SED counters and Alipiri toll gate counter.

“Out of which 86 were operated by Trilok, 40 by various banks, 18 laddu sevaks, and 29 by FM agencies. While Trilok withdrew its services even before March 2020, other banks also gave up as it involved cash transactions. Similar was the case with laddu sevaks,” said the official.

However, currently, only two banks are running 16 counters, which are also putting pressure on TTD that they will withdraw.

“At this juncture, to give more transparent services to devotees, TTD has called for tenders which took place in a transparent manner,” he noted.

He said KVM Info from Bengaluru quoted the lowest bid at Rs 11,402 per shift per counter against the previous value of Rs 12,345, excluding GST in both cases.

Further, TTD has reduced the number of counters from 176 to 164 as per requirement and even introduced deploying personnel on rotation basis by alternating staff once every two months, aimed at avoiding scope for misappropriation.

“When TTD is taking decisions and implementing them for the good of pilgrims, it is sad that a section of media is trying to malign the image of TTD among the devotees with their negative reports,” he highlighted.

Similarly, he alleged that some people with ulterior motives are attempting to play games with the sentiments of devotees and called it unethical.

On Friday, former chief minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo Nara Chandrababu Naidu shared a Telugu daily’s report and alleged that the sacredness of TTD is being compromised by handing over charge of various works to private firms, sidelining those who used to offer free services earlier.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has decided to construct Lord Venkateswara temples in Mumbai and Varanasi.

TTD chairman Y.V. Subba Reddy on Saturday said about the new temples plans, while thanking the members of the trust board, TTD authorities and employees on successfully completing two years in office.

Already, TTD laid the foundation for a temple at Majhin village area in Jammu, in an endeavour to construct a temple in the Himalayas.

TTD board contemplated to build 500 temples in the past two years with the help of Samarsata Foundation and endowments department but could not execute the plans due to the pandemic.

However, the temple body aims to complete them in the next one year in Dalit localities, agency areas and fishermen colonies.

Beisdes, TTD aims to launch Kannada and Hindi SVBC spiritual television channels in 2 – 3 months.

“Srivani Trust funds to be utilised towards construction and renovation of temples in backward areas,” he said.

TTD will also be implementing pilgrim allowance to pensioners of HDPP, similar to regular retired employees of the temple body.

“A committee to be constituted to look into the eligibilities of contract and outsourcing employees working in TTD for regularization,” said the chairman.

“To weed out the ill effects of Covid-19 pandemic, TTD has taken up several spiritual programmes in the last 14 months in Nada Neerajanam platform at Tirumala by telecasting live on SVBC which boosted confidence among world devotees,” said Reddy.

Other initiatives include the removal of all unauthorised shops in Tirumala, laying the foundation stone for a pediatric hospital in Tirupati by Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and a plan to construct 13 kalyana mandapams in viable areas.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) has announced that Anjanadri, one of the seven Tirumala hills, was the birth place of Lord Hanuman. As announced earlier, the TTD’s proclamation came on Wednesday, on the occasion of Ram Navami.

Announcing the findings of a four-month long study, Acharya Muralidhar Sarma, Vice Chancellor of the National Sanskrit University, said here that the study has established that the faithful aide of Lord Ram was born at the Japali Theertham or natural water spring in the Anjanadri hills, one of the 20 names by which the Venkatachalam hill is known.

Sarma said that their findings are derived from the information present in the ‘Puranic’ anthologies, literary and epigraphic evidences, and geographical references.

Sarma said that evidence was collected from 12 Puranas. Similarly, verses from Kamba’s Ramayanam and Annamacharya’s compositions provided literary evidence while epigraphic evidence was derived from the 12th and 13th century inscriptions found in the Tirumala temple, inscriptions in the Varadaraja Swamy temple at Kanchipuram, and Sawal-e-Jawab, a record of practices at Tirumala dating back to 1801-02.

For geographical validation, the committee turned to the Skanda Purana, where Sage Matanga tells Hanuman’s mother Anjani Devi that Venkatachalam is to the north of Swarnamukhi river and located at a distance of 12 yojanas from Ahobilam, in present-day Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh.

Also present on the occassion were Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit and TTD Executive Officer K.S. Jawahar Reddy, who had set up the committee to identify Lord Hanuman’s birth place.

The TTD committee’s findings come in the face of claims made by several states such as Karnataka, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Haryana, of being the birth place of Lord Hanuman.

“Hampi in Karnataka is not the birth place of Hanuman, as is being claimed for long. Hampi is the Kishkinda of yore while Venkatachalam is Anjanadri. Their conversation makes it amply clear when Sugreeva asks Hanuman to bring Vanaras from Anjanadri. If it was in Kishkinda, he would not have asked that way,” Sarma explained.

The TTD committee comprised Sri Venkateswara Veda Viswavidyalayam VC Acharya Sannidhanam Sudhakar Sarma; Acharya Rani Sadasiva Murthy; Acharya Janamaddi Ramakrishna; ISRO scientist Remella Murthy; Acharya Muralidhar Sarma and Andhra Pradesh archeological department deputy director Vijay Kumar.

Akella Vibheeshana Sarma, head of the TTD SV University’s Vedadhyayana project, was the convenor of the committee.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) on Monday extended the Rs 300 ticket quota to devotees for the next 90 days in case they had missed the opportunity between April 21 and 30 amid the rising Covid cases.

“As the Covid cases are increasing across the country from the past few days, TTD has taken some important decisions in view of the pilgrims’ health security,” said a TTD official.

The Temple had stopped issuing Slotted Sarva Darshan (SSD) tokens amid the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the TTD management has appealed to the devotees, suffering from fever, common cold and other health issues, to postpone their Tirumala visit.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has begun once again stringent restrictions atop the Seven Hills temple. It is taking extra precautionary measures on account of the rapid spread of the Coronavirus second wave. As an immediate step, the TTD has stopped the issue of Sarva Darshanam tokens for darshan from April 12. In view of the uncertainty, the TTD has not clarified when it will reissue these tokens.

The Central Government has also repeatedly been issuing cautionary warnings for utmost precautions with regard to the preventive measures. In the first wave of infections, the TTD closed the Tirumala temple for several months. That step was taken after many archakas also fell victim to the virus in addition to the devotees.

The TTD is also expected to cancel the Sri Vari arjita sevas which are to begin on April 14 as per the existing schedule. The arjita sevas were closed and they were being performed in private ever since the first wave of epidemic reached its peak last year. Now, the rising second wave threat is forcing the TTD to have second thoughts on the reopening of the sevas for the general pilgrims and devotees. These sevas included Archanantara Seva, Suprabhata Seva, Thomala Seva and the like.

In view of the resurgence of coronavirus cases across the country, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), custodian of the Tirupati Lord Venkateswara Temple, has reduced the issuance of darshan tokens to 15,000 per day from the present 22,000.

“TTD has decided to reduce the sarva darshan tokens tokens to 15,000 per day from the present 22,000. We are also mulling to reduce the number of online special darshan tickets (Rs 300) depending on the Covid pandemic situation,” said TTD Additional Executive Officer A. V. Dharma Reddy.

He has issued this advisory to devotees in view of their health security and also appealed to them to adhere to the Covid protocols and cooperate with the TTD in the best interests of all.

“Devotees should wear masks compulsorily at vaikuntam queue complex, srivari temple, anna prasadam bhavan, kalyana katta and at all crowded gatherings in Tirumala,” said Reddy.

He added that thermal screening machines have been installed at anna prasadam centres, room allocation counters and also at several other places.

TTD has decided to allow only two persons for each room at Tirumala and all the arriving devotees are required to bring their own masks and hand sanitisers.

“Devotees will be allowed at Alipiri check point only by 1 p.m. for their next day darshan and those who are trekking Alipiri and Srivarimettu only at 9 a.m. for their darshan slot in the next day,” said Reddy.

Similarly, devotees will be allowed into the vaikuntam queue complex only half an hour before their allotted darshan time.

The temple management has decided to sanitise all the vehicles entering through Alipiri toll gates while devotees suffering from fever, cold and cough are advised not to visit Tirumala.

The Additional Executive Officer has also asked the devotees directly coming from other states such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra to take note of the reduction in sarva darshan tokens.

Likewise, TTD is also reviewing its earlier decision of reviving the arijitha sevas from April 14 as the pandemic is resurging.

All TTD departments’ chiefs were instructed to review the pandemic situation and then take up precautionary measures.

Meanwhile, Reddy dismissed the propaganda being carried out on TTD on the social media alleging tonsured hair smuggling, which he called as “untrue and baseless”.

“TTD had established a perfect system in storage, processing, handling and transport of tonsured hair of devoteesathere was no room for any misuse or pilferage or malpractices,” he said.

“TTD has nothing to do with that once it has sold the product to the bidder,” he said, condemning the social media propaganda over seizure of 120 bags of tonsured hair at Mizoram a” Myanmar border by Assam Rifles recently.

According to Reddy, the temple management is in touch with Assam Rifles and Mizoram police who are still probing the roots of the alleged hair stock smuggling and yet to pinpoint any location.

“Media should note that hair tonsuring is undertaken at scores of temples across India and the alleged hair bags could have come from anywhere and devotees should not to fall prey to such false news against TTD,” he added.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which manages the affairs of richest temple at Tirumala, has approved Rs 2,937 crore budget for 2021-22.

The TTD board, which met under the chairmanship of Y V Subba Reddy late Saturday, approved the budget.

The budget for the next financial year is 10 per cent higher than the revised estimates for 2020-21.

The temple body estimated the income from hundi and other capital receipts in 2020-21 at Rs.1,131 crore, against Rs 731 during the current year. It also expects Rs 100 as monetization fund for unviable properties and vacant cottages under cottage donations scheme.

The interest receipts are estimated at Rs 533 crore while earning from prasadams expected to be Rs 375 crore. The receipts from darshanam are estimated at Rs 210 crore and from Kalyanatakka at Rs 131 crore.

The board also decided to construct either Srivari temple or Bhajana Mandiram or Amenities Complex in Ayodhya, if the Ayodhya Ram Mandir Nirman Trust comes forward to allot land to TTD.

TTD also announced that Bhumi pujas will be performed soon for construction of Srivari temples at Mumbai and Jammu. It had also given nod to declare cow as national animal and will recommend the same to the Centre

Following the medical advice, it decided to provide Covid vaccination to all TTD employees.

The board decided to resume arjitha sevas in Tirumala temple from April 14. TTD will allow devotees physical presence for advance booked arjita sevas. Devotees with arjita Seva tickets should observe all Covid guidelines and also procure Covid test three days ahead of their Tirumala visit.

The TTD board approved a proposal of Sri Padmavati temple of Tiruchanoor to launch Tulabhara seva on the lines of Srivari Temple, Tirumala.

It also decided to frame certain guidelines for taking over temples by TTD. It will provide financial assistance to taken over temples from Srivani Trust. The board has also taken a decision to frame uniform guidelines for leasing and construction of TTD Kalyana Mandapams. An integrated system will be formulated to reduce losses in operating Kalyana Mandapams.

The board endorsed a proposal to name all the six Veda Pathashalas run by TTD henceforth as Sri Venkateswara Veda Vijnana Peetham and hike the remuneration of Vedic teachers at all Pathashalas from existing Rs 22,000 to Rs 35,150

It also approved proposals for increasing the capacity storage of ghee used in the preparation of TTD Prasadam and Anna Prasadam from 82.4 tonnes to 180.4 metric tonnes thereby enhancing the storage period from 6-14 days.