Tragedy struck on Wednesday near the Vaikuntha Dwara Darshan ticketing centers of the Tirupati temple, as a stampede broke out, claiming the life of at least six devotees and injuring 40 others.
The incident occurred at Bairagi Pattida Park, where thousands of devotees had gathered for the distribution of tokens for the Vaikuntha Dwara Darshan. According to officials, around 4,000 pilgrims had queued up at various ticketing centers in the city since early Wednesday morning.
Chaos Amid Rush for Tokens
The stampede erupted as devotees were allowed to queue up for token distribution, leading to a massive surge of people. Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic and disorder as the situation spiraled out of control.
In response, BR Naidu, Chairman of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) board, convened an emergency meeting to address the situation. Naidu is expected to provide further updates following the meeting.
Preparations for Vaikuntha Ekadasi
The tragedy comes just a day after TTD Executive Officer J Syamala Rao detailed the arrangements for the Vaikuntha Ekadasi and Vaikuntha Dwara Darshanam scheduled from January 10 to 19, 2025.
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Rao had announced extensive preparations to accommodate up to seven lakh devotees during the ten-day period. He emphasized the priority of providing safe and seamless darshan experiences for all pilgrims.
The Vaikuntha Dwara is set to open on January 10, with protocol darshan beginning at 4:30 a.m., followed by Sarva Darshan at 8:00 a.m. Special protocols and arrangements have been made to manage the massive influx of pilgrims expected during this auspicious period.
Call for Enhanced Safety Measures
The incident has raised questions about crowd management and safety protocols at one of India’s most revered pilgrimage sites. With such a large number of devotees expected in the coming days, authorities are under pressure to ensure no further tragedies occur.
TTD officials have not yet released an official statement addressing how the stampede will impact upcoming darshan arrangements.
