Is this possible ? The TTD is trying it for this summer. To provide hassle-free darshan to all devotees visiting the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara this summer, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) management has resolved not to entertain VIP recommendation letters.
The management has taken a firm decision not to consider recommendation letters issued by VIPs for darshan and other facilities, including accommodations to their near and dear ones visiting the hills on all Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in the summer months of April, May and June, temple sources told .However, only protocol VIPs would be given priority in getting accommodation and special entry tickets for darshan on payment, it has been decided by the board.
The offering box at the hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara here on Monday netted cash offerings to the tune of Rs 4.75 crore in new notes, the highest single day collections post demonetisation. “Since the announcement of demonetisation scheme, everyday the hundi had collected between Rs 2.5 and Rs 3 crore, besides offerings in gold and silver, from thousands of devotees across the country, who are undeterred by demonetisation,” temple sources told.
This collection surprised the temple staff when they emptied the seven-foot high hundi for counting as a single offering of over Rs 1 crore was found in a bag along with other cash and precious kind offerings, the sources said.
In April 2012, on the auspicious ‘Sri Rama Navami’ day, the hundi had received the biggest single day cash offerings of Rs 5.73 crore and it was the highest collection ever in the hill shrine’s history, besides other precious offerings, they added.
