As soon as Balaji is mentioned in Tirumala, it is thought of that group of devotees who queue for hours to book a room and stay for a stay there.
But the situation in Tirumala is not the same today. In Tirupati below, the corona is spreading its feet rapidly, while in Tirumala, the effect of the coronavirus is seen everywhere.
The officials of the TTD (Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanam) Trust have stopped the padayatra through Srivari Metalu. According to public relations officials, devotees can also go through the Alipiri Padala Mandapam Padayatra from 6 am to 4 pm. These are the two routes through which thousands of pedestrians daily go from Tirupati to Tirumala to have a glimpse of Balaji.
Even though a walkway has been closed, the jubilation of Govinda… Govinda… Govinda… is still resonating at this pilgrimage site of Sahyadri mountain like before. Sporadic devotees are seen on Mada Street. The arrival and return of buses from Vengamamba Food Center, Laddu Counter, Kalyan Katta (the main center of Mundan), Tirupati are all going on with some change.
Masks, sanitizers, social distancing… all these can be seen here like the rest of the world. Along with Tirumala, Tirupati is also witnessing a rapid increase in coronavirus cases.
Closed after 128 years
Balaji's darshan was stopped for the first time after 128 years at Tirumala Devasthanam on 20 March 2020 due to Covid 19. However, on 11 June, it was opened for darshan.
On an average day, around 60 thousand people visit Lord Venkatesh daily. When the darshan was resumed as an experiment here on 8, 9 June, it was only for the employees of the trust. June 10 opened to residents living above. Then the next day, on June 11, it was opened for the devotees to see. Although all the precautions were taken on 15 June, a TTD employee's corona test came positive. And with this the coronavirus officially reached Tirumala.
When the priests got corona
Since then, there has been a gradual increase in the number of Corona positive TTD employees here. According to TTD officials, on July 15, this number reached 176, and out of these 15 were Marchak (priests).
So far, many other arches aka (priests), from senior priests, have become corona positive while reports of some more priests are awaited. The Public Relations Department of TTD informed that 14 out of the 15 priests who came to Corona Test positive have been discharged from the hospital on July 25 while one is undergoing treatment at Apollo Hospital in Chennai. A former chief priest and another employee who was engaged in the work of lighting a lamp has died.
The BBC contacted EO Anil Singhal for information on the current status of Corona in Tirumala on his official mail but there has been no response from his side for three days. There are contradictory arguments on how the present state of Corona is in this pilgrimage site located on the hills of Sahyadri. According to some, the presence of Corona's influence is intact here, while some dismiss it outright when they do not have the facts.
A senior journalist from Tirupati, on the condition of anonymity, says, "Every day around 12,000 devotees visit Tirumala for darshan, how can we say with confidence that the coronavirus is not present in any of them."
The former head priest of the Tirumala temple has died due to Corona. Recently, on July 24, a TTD employee died.
A senior journalist says that temple priests are also concerned about their safety. Because of the many possibilities of its transition to priests, he says, "The sanctum sanctorum of Tirumala is very small. There is already a fixed distance between the priests and the devotees there. But the devotees wearing masks reach the sanctum sanctorum. So they take off their masks and start cheering for Govinda… Govinda… Govinda… In such a way, they will get evaporated from their mouth in the air. According to the current facts, these viruses survive for a few hours in the air where these droplets have fallen from there. During passing, the risk of reaching the staff or priest will remain intact.
So should darshan in Tirupati be stopped?
Ramanna Deekshutulu, who was the head priest at the temple, agreed with the words of this senior journalist from Tirupati and told the BBC, "We cannot dismiss this possibility and we should talk about it."
They say, during VIP darshan, devotees come very close to the priest. In such a situation, their chances of getting infected increases manifold. Which state of the country is a devotee coming from? Is it from the red zone or green zone? Do they have solid? These priests do not know this. People buy tickets that allow them to visit VIPs. So such a situation is also a chance of corona infection. "
Ramanna Deekshutulu says, "There was not a single case in Tirumala during the lockdown. Matters sprang up only after the lockdown was relaxed and darshan resumed. Even if darshan closes, there is no damage to the temple. All puja rituals can be conducted privately. Priests do not come directly in contact with the devotees during public darshan. But looking at the growing cases of corona, it seems good to stop the darshan Will happen." The priests of Tirumala live in Tirupati. Because of the increasing cases of Covid, TTD feels that it can be dangerous to come up daily. In such a situation, priests should stay in Tirumala for 15 days, and for this, transit arrangements were made for the stay of priests in Archak Bhavan. According to information received from the PRO Wing, after this, some priests got infected with the Corona Wires, then they were sent to Vakul Bhawan where they had their accommodation in different rooms. Archak Bhawan had a common dormitory and dining. Number of devotees reduced from 60 thousand to six thousand Officials of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) say that during Brahmotavas, the number of daily sightings here crossed one lakh. Even on normal days, less than 60 thousand people do not reach Srinivas. But due to Coronavirus, TTD arranged that at least a small number of people arrived here to visit. After the lockdown opened, TTD released nine thousand online and 3000 off-line darshan tickets. But with the spread of the virus in Tirupati city, off-line tickets were stopped from July 20. Accommodation in Tirumala? For staying in Tirumala, between 70 thousand and one lakh people stayed in 6500 rooms. But now according to TTD, only five to six thousand people are reaching for darshan. Officials say that usually there is a system to book a room for 24 hours in Tirumala, which can be extended up to 72 hours, but the room is not being given for more than a day. Also, the allocation of rooms is being done on the lines of and-even. In this arrangement, the room after the room booked today is kept empty. The second room is being booked after one day. On the second day, the first room will be empty. Also, the allotted room is being sanitized every two hours. Kalyan Katta Thousands of devotees arrive at Tirumala's Kalyan Katta (the place where devotees are shaved) with a pledge to get the shaving done. Here the shaves of TTD are shaved. During the lockdown, the government closed the saloon across the country. Now that it has been resumed, the TTD has arranged for Kalyan Katta to wear PPE kits to protect his shaved. visit According to the officials, if the devotees reach for the darshan in the already allotted time, then they can see Balaji only in half an hour. Due care is being taken to ensure that the social distancing is maintained in the line during the darshan. A circular line has been drawn in and out of the temple so that a distance of at least two meters between the two devotees is made. A similar arrangement has also been made at the Laddu counter. Earlier, as a rule, 67 laddus counters were open here, but now only 27 counters are open. Anna Prasadam Apart from the darshan at Tirumala, there is also the famous Tarigonda Vengamamba Annaprasadam (seating arrangement). There is an arrangement of sitting together in four big rooms. Where once a thousand people used to eat together. Earlier, four people used to sit together at a table, but now only two people can sit on it. Tirumala's impact on Tirupati In the city of Tirupati, coronavirus cases reached alarming numbers in the past. There were very few positive cases in June, but in July it increased much faster. Chittoor District Magistrate Bharat Gupta told the BBC that out of every 100 samples, 15 cases were coming positive. Whereas of 10 June, the number of positive cases in Tirupati was 40. At the same time, when Balaji's philosophy started again, that is, 276 cases were registered between June 11 and June 30. The number of Corona positive cases reached 853 on 12 July, 928 on 13 July, and 2,237 on 25 July. These figures also include people discharged from the hospital and those who have died. As of 25 July, the number of active cases here was 785. "Tirumala may not be the only reason" District magistrate Dr. N Bharat Gupta told the BBC that a demarcation has been imposed in Tirupati before going to Tirumala for darshan and on the way back. He says that it would not be right to say that due to Tirumala philosophy, the number of corona positive people in Tirupati is increasing. He says, "We cannot say for sure that the corona-infected people will not be going to Tirumala. Also, it is not possible to conduct corona tests with six to seven thousand devotees coming daily." Bharat Gupta says, "Tirumala philosophy can have an impact on Tirupati but it cannot be said that it is entirely due to that. But it is not that only in the city of Tirupati, corona cases are increasing. Its number is increasing in many districts of the country. Around 2.5 lakh tests are being done every day across the country. If about seven thousand people have to be tested, then it will be 3% of the total test here. And it does not seem practical is." According to him, about five thousand tests are being done every day. As the number of tests is increasing, the positive cases are also increasing. He says, "We are conducting a random test of the pilgrims going to Tirumala. So far we have tested 400 pilgrims. Not a single positive has turned out. According to the data, Tirumala is safe. The measures TTD has taken Appreciative. "
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