Hyderabad, Sepetmber 24: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) will start issuing Sarva Darshan tickets online from Sunday, i.e. September 26, for devotees to visit the Tirumala Tirupati temple. At present, the number of tokens issued per day is capped at 8,000  due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision of issuing online tickets has been taken keeping in view the safety of devotees and to do away with long queues outside booking counters.

Notably, the limit of 8,000 tokens per day will remain unchanged. "From the day TTD started issuing free darshan tokens under current booking quota, an unprecedented number of devotees were queuing up to the booking counters and the overcrowding had become a cause of concern which is why we are now moving the darshan booking to the online mode," reported Business Insider qoting TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy as saying. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams To Make, Sell Incense Sticks From Flowers Offered to Deity, Says Temple Official.

Here Are Steps To Book Online Darshan:

  • Devotees are required to visit the official TTD website - tirupatibalaji.ap.gov.in.

  • On the home page, click on the Special Entry Darshan option.

  • Sign Up by entering the required details, including phone number.

  • Click on the "Generate OTP" button.

  • Enter the OTP and then proceed.

  • Select the date of darshan, time slot and the number of visiting the temple.

  • Devotees also need to select if they require any additional laddus and hundi offerings.

  • Enter personal details and proceed and then pay the fees – Rs 300 per person.

The TTD has made COVID-19 vaccination certificates or negative RT-PCR test results mandatory for all pilgrims. Notably, a vaccination certificate is only accepted if a devotee is fully vaccinated. Otherwise, he or she needs to carry a negative COVID-19 report of not more than three days old. Devotees also need to bring any of their ID proof - PAN card, Aadhaar card, Passport or Voter ID card-  along with them. People are advised to bring a hard copy of the ticket.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 24, 2021 04:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).