Keeping in mind the influx of devotees and the problems faced in the offline ticketing system, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is preparing to switch the entire Srivani Darshan quota system to a GPS-supported online system.
Due to the huge demand for recommendation letters required to get VIP darshan tickets, devotees are competing for the Rs. 10,500 Srivani darshan tickets in offline mode. Although 500 tickets are available online three months in advance, they are booked within seconds. On the other hand, 800 tickets are issued daily at Tirumala and 200 tickets are issued through the offline system at Tirupati airport.
According to TTD officials, the number of devotees coming directly to Tirumala for Srivani darshan is gradually increasing. Tickets are issued from 6 am at the offline centre opposite Annamayya Bhavan. But devotees wait from 7 pm the previous night.
Thus, devotees face a lot of trouble as no accommodation is available and their families have to wait outside. Moreover, since this quota is limited, it is common for devotees who do not get tickets to protest. Along with this, TTD officials are also concerned that devotees are facing similar difficulties at the airport ticket counter.
TTD Chairman B.R. Naidu, Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal and Additional Executive Officer Venkaiah Chowdhury have been receiving frequent complaints about the difficulties faced by devotees in collecting Srivani Darshan tickets. In this context, an expert committee was constituted to study the issue and submit a report. After the committee clarified that the current offline Srivani Darshan tickets are likely to continue to face difficulties, the official said, the decision was taken to remove this system.
After this, another expert committee was constituted to decide how to distribute these tickets to devotees without the offline system. Based on the recommendations of the committee, a new technology-based mechanism is being considered, which will allow only those arriving at Tirumala on a particular day to purchase tickets online.
As part of this, devotees will be able to buy tickets directly from their mobile phones. Online purchase of Srivani tickets will be allowed only after GPS confirms that the devotees’ location is in Tirumala. Tickets will not be able to be purchased online from any other location. This will enable devotees to buy tickets without having to wait in queues for long hours, a TTD official said.
Plans are afoot to implement this new system from January 2026 after a thorough review of potential loopholes, the official said.