The month of September was productive for the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) both in terms of income as well as devotee turnout.
While around 3.89 lakh devotees had darshan of Lord Venkateswara, the temple hundi recorded an income of around ₹29 crore, close to ₹1 crore a day, as compared to ₹40-60 lakh a day in August. September’s proceeds exceeded that of August by over ₹13 crore.
After mulling several changes in the issuance of darshan tickets, the TTD finally resolved to provide 13,000 online darshan tickets a day. Of the 3.90 lakh online tickets made available during the entire month of September, in addition to VIP and Srivani donors, around 3.89 lakh devotees turned up for darshan — indicating a considerable drop in the number of absentees.
The second half of the month which coincided with the annual Salakatla Brahmotsavams was more rewarding for the TTD with a surplus income of around ₹2.50 crore and an additional turnout of 30,000 pilgrims.
