In a heartbreaking incident, six people lost their lives in a stampede at Vishnu Niwasam in Tirupati. The tragedy occurred as thousands of devotees gathered to collect free tokens for the Sarva Darshan of Lord Venkateswara at the famous Tirumala Temple.
The chaos broke out during the distribution of Vaikunthadwara Sarvadarshanam tokens, which allow pilgrims to have a free darshan of the deity. A massive crowd rushed to secure the tokens, leading to a stampede. Six devotees, including one from Salem, Tamil Nadu, died on the spot, while four fell unconscious and few more were rushed to Ruia Hospital for treatment.
Sarva Darshan is a free darshan facility provided by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) for pilgrims visiting the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple. Pilgrims wait in the Vaikuntham Queue Complex II for their turn, and the darshan duration can take 18 to 20 hours, depending on the crowd.
According to sources, nearly more than 1 lakh people gathered for Sri Vekateswara Swamy sarwadarshan tickets, that is to walk through Vaikunta Dwara, which opens only once a year. Reports indicate that elders, children and women were the most affected due to dehydration, as they had been waiting in long queues for hours.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu expressed his condolences over the deaths and instructed officials to provide proper treatment to the injured.
