“Every dark cloud has a silver lining”. We fought the pandemic together; the whole world stood united as we sprinted through the dark. But with the blessings of Lord Venkateshwara, things are becoming healthy once again.
To help in stopping the spread of COVID-19, the Tirupati Balaji Temple was temporarily closed on 19th March 2019, a commendable step taken by the authorities of one of the most famous temples in India, with a registration count of over thousands of pilgrims per day.
After over two months, the wait is finally over, as the administrative body decides to reopen Tirupati Balaji Temple, much to the relief of the devotees.
The reopening schedules
To ensure the safety of the devotees, the administrative body of the Tirupati Balaji Temple has decided to opt for trial runs before the actual darshans begin.
Officially, the gates of the temple will be opened on 8th June 2020. However, on the two subsequent days starting from 8th, the temple will be open from 6:30 A.M. to 7:30 A.M. only for the Tirupati Balaji Temple Darshan Employees and their families. Darshans are limited to only 500 devotees per day, and no outsiders are allowed.
On 10th, Tirumala locals would be permitted to enter the temple, with the maximum headcount being 500 an hour. The temple will be opened for the general public on 11th June, with the maximum headcount being the same of 500 an hour and ticket price of INR 300 per head.
Bookings on the online site will start from 8th June, and only 3000 pilgrims will be allowed to enter the temple in a day.
Rules and Regulations
The authorities will appropriately regulate the visits. A few changes have been brought in to battle the spread of the virus amongst the devotees.
- The devotees are advised to keep at least 6 feet distance from one another while inside the Tirupati Balaji temple. They will be allowed to enter the temple premises if they pass the thermal scanning and vehicle scanning at the Alipiri Toll Gate.
- They will be provided with herbal hand sanitizer to clean their hands that will exponentially decrease the risk of getting a virus attack. This will be the second sanitization of the devotees, after the first one being held at the Alipiri toll.
Also, as per the government policies, devotees will be barred from entering the Swami Pushkarini.
- Devotees willing to stay in Tirumala will be provided with a room of double occupancy for 24 hours only, with the sanitization of the rooms being done after every 2 hours by the trained personnel. The providence of lodging facilities is subject to availability and conditioning of the rooms.
- For those willing to perform their marriage ceremony inside the temple’s marriage halls, a health officer will check them to make sure that they aren’t a potential virus threat to other devotees. And only allow them to enter the hall after they have cleared the test. At most fifty persons are allowed inside the halls.
- To regulate the incoming of the devotees, and pass them through proper screening, the Srivari Mettu Path will be closed, and the Alipiri Mettu path will remain open.
Anyone wishing to visit the Lord Venkateshwara in Tirupati Balaji temple will have to follow the guidelines and norms for a safe and blissful visit. The authorities will make sure that the flow of devotees inside the temple is smooth and distanced to minimize the risk of spreading the virus.
With that being said, hope you have a safe journey to the abode of the Lord Venkateshwara. May the great lord shower us his blessings and give us the power to eradicate the pandemic we are going through.
Om Namo Venkatesay
