Tirupati Darshan: TTD suspends SSD token distribution on Wednesdays; here’s what devotees need to know

Here is some important information for devotees planning to visit Tirumala Tirupati Srinivasa. Due to the rush of devotees, the TTD management has announced that the distribution of free SSD (Slotted Sarva Darshan) darshan tokens in Tirupati has been temporarily suspended. There will be no token distribution on Wednesdays. Here are the complete details of the new rule aimed at reducing confusion among devotees travelling from far and wide.

No tokens on Wednesday, live darshan allowed

Devotees visiting the Srinivasam, Vishnu Nivasam and Bhudevi Complexes in Tirupati will no longer have to wait on Wednesdays to get tokens in advance. The issuance of tokens for Thursday’s darshan on Wednesday has been completely stopped. Instead of waiting at the counters, devotees can go straight to Tirumala (the hill) without a token and get darshan through the ‘Sarva Darshan’ (free darshan) queue.

When will token distribution resume?

The token distribution, which has been halted on Wednesdays, will resume at the counters after Thursday afternoon. This means devotees can get tokens for Friday’s darshan from Thursday afternoon. The TTD, which had been implementing this rule on an experimental basis for the last 6-7 weeks, has now officially implemented it following its success.

What is the reason for the sudden change?

The TTD had predicted that the number of devotees would come down due to the monsoon rains in July-August and the reopening of schools and colleges. However, all the compartments in the Vaikuntam Queue Complex are full due to an influx of devotees beyond expectations. At present, the waiting time for Sarva Darshan is 12 to 24 hours, with an average of 18 hours. The decision has been taken by the management to reduce the inconvenience faced by devotees while obtaining tokens at the counters and to control the rush.

Important points to note for devotees

On normal days, 10,000 SSD tokens are issued on Tuesday morning, while 2,000 tokens are issued on the Srivari Mettu footpath. However, due to the heavy rush, the quota is being exhausted within just one hour. Therefore, devotees arriving on Wednesday are advised to go straight to Tirumala and join the queue without getting a token. Arrangements have been made for Annaprasadam, drinking water and toilets so that devotees waiting in the queue do not face any inconvenience.

(input from News18 Kannada)