Fears of Tirumala becoming a Covid-19 hotspot looms as darshans continue despite rising cases

The stance of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams board to continue the darshans at the Lord Venkateswara temple is raising fears that the sacred hill could become a Covid-19 hotspot.

At least 179 TTD employees have tested positive till now, including about 20 archakas (priests), several Potu (temple kitchen) workers. A few pilgrims who returned from the temple tour have also reportedly tested positive, though TTD authorities contend they would have contracted the virus elsewhere.

At the same time, Srisailam, another popular temple in Andhra Pradesh, is closed for over a week now for pilgrims. The management took the decision on 14 July following five temple personnel testing positive.

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Devotees are still visiting Tirumala, though the number has declined in comparison to last month, when darshans resumed on June 11. While TTD is offering 9000 tokens daily online for the Rs 300 entry, officials said that less than 6000 devotees were appearing for darshan now at a place that used to brim with about 70,000 pilgrims on average every day before the Covid-19 outbreak.

The temple town of Tirupati, the gateway to Tirumala, where several prominent temples are located, has over 2000 Covid-19 cases registered and is in lockdown till 5 August. Because of this, TTD has stopped the 3000 free offline tokens that it was offering at Alipiri for the locals.

Hindu organizations, apart from the BJP, and former temple administrators, are mystified with the TTD board letting darshans in the midst of a severe pandemic.

“Several archakas are affected by Covid-19, which makes kainkaryams (daily elaborate ceremonies) difficult. If darshans are continued, the temple could become a coronavirus hotspot, harming Tirumala’s glorious reputation globally,” said Bhanu Prakash Reddy, Secretary, Andhra Pradesh BJP and a former TTD board member.

On behalf of his party, Reddy wrote to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy appealing for the temporary closure of Tirumala and other temples in the state for public darshan and to hold all rituals in ekantam (solitude) like during the March to June lockdown.

“Any untoward occurrence would hurt devotee sentiments, besides bringing disrepute to the TTD and the government,” Reddy said in the missive.

A senior health official of Chittoor district, where Tirumala and Tirupati are located, opined that darshans should be halted for a few weeks, in public health interest. TTD employees, DH spoke to, also opined the same.

IYR Krishna Rao, former Chief Secretary, Andhra Pradesh, who served as the temple’s executive officer earlier, criticized TTD for “disregarding public safety.”

“The temple attracts pilgrims in multitudes and thus could become a source of disease spread. Why unnecessarily allow darshans at this point in time? It is baffling why the TTD is letting it become an issue,” Rao told DH.

A false impression of financial challenges is being created, when in fact the TTD can still thrive even after a year without darshans, Rao says.

Hundi donations are the prime source of TTD income, averaging to about Rs 3.5 crore daily.

Speaking to DH earlier this month, TTD board chairman YV Subba Reddy said that the temple is not even earning 10 per cent of this income, against the expenses incurred.

Last week, in his defense, Subba Reddy asserted “that no devotees who came for Srivari darshan have reported as Covid-19 positive so far.”

But district health officials told DH that tests are being conducted randomly, on only 100 pilgrims daily, while admitting the chances of undetected Covid-19 cases.

The chairman, however, stated that darshans would continue at Tirumala in limited numbers, guaranteeing Covid-19 precautions. “No TTD employee was affected because of the devotees (or temple duties). Several of them have recovered, with some back in duties.”

Speaking to DH on Saturday, a top TTD official stated the darshans are open in accordance with the Centre’s Covid-19 guidelines for the temples nationally.

“Even if the temple is made virus-proof, pilgrims could possibly contract Covid-19 at some time of their journey involving unavoidable interactions. Lord Venkateshwara is the central deity for multitudes in the southern states, and devotees would be enticed to visit despite the lurking danger. Suspension of darshans for some time would be in the best service of the Lord and his followers,” said Prof DAR Subrahmanyam, treasurer, Bharathiya Dharma Parirakshana Vedika, an NGO working for the revival of Hindu dharmic traditions and temples.

A list of containment clusters released on 9 July included Tirumala, generating concern. Chittoor collector Dr Bharat Gupta stated it was a mistake, adding that only the 200 meters area around the Andhra Pradesh Special Police barracks, where about 40 guards tested positive, has been marked as a containment zone as per the ICMR guidelines.