Jostling among hundreds of devotees for tickets to a religious event in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, is suspected to have caused the stampede that claimed at least six lives on Wednesday evening.
The incident took place when a large number of devotees, who turned up from across the country, gathered for tickets for the annual Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam at Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple on Tirumala Hills, an official from the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) told HT. The 10-day Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam (darshan of the deity from the northern entrance of the temple) commences from January 10.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu Condoled the incident, saying it “Deeply Disturbed” him.
“The death of several devotees in a stampede near Vishnu Niwasam in Tirupati for tokens to visit Tirumala Srivari Vaikuntha Dwara has shocked me. This tragic incident, which took place at a time when devotees had gathered in large numbers for tokens, deeply disturbed me,” Chandrababu Naidu wrote in a post in Telugu on X.
తిరుమల శ్రీవారి వైకుంఠ ద్వార దర్శనం టోకెన్ల కోసం తిరుపతిలోని విష్ణు నివాసం దగ్గర జరిగిన తోపులాటలో పలువురు భక్తులు మృతి చెందడం దిగ్భ్రాంతిని కలిగించింది. టోకెన్ల కోసం భక్తులు పెద్ద ఎత్తున తరలివచ్చిన సందర్భంలో చోటుచేసుకున్న ఈ విషాదకర ఘటన నన్ను తీవ్రంగా కలిచివేసింది. మరి కొందరి…
— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) January 8, 2025
“In the wake of information that the condition of some of them is critical, I have directed higher officials to go to the spot and take relief measures… to provide better medical treatment to the injured and save their lives. I am talking to the district and TTD officials from time to time and am taking stock of the situation,” the CM added.
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Tirupati stampede: What happened?
- The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which oversees temple operations, had set up special counters to distribute darshan tokens for the Vaikunta Ekadasi festival on January 9, The Indian Express reported.
- These tokens, allowing devotees to visit Lord Venkateswara, were being handed out at MGM High School in Bairagipatteda, near the Vishnu Nivasam temple in Tirupati.
- Thousands of devotees began lining up at the counters from Wednesday morning, and by evening, the crowd had become unruly with pushing and jostling.
- According to BR Naidu, chairman of TTD, the stampede occurred when a gate was opened to assist a woman feeling unwell, but the crowd surged forward all at once, leading to chaos, the report claimed.
Arrangements for 120,000 tokens distribution
- Officials told HT that the TTD made arrangements for the distribution of 120,000 tokens to the devotees for the “sarva darshan” (free darshan) of Lord Venkateshwara Swamy for the first three days of the annual darshan on January 10 to 12.
- The distribution arrangements were made at 94 counters at three pilgrim lodges — Vishnu Nivasam, Srinivasam, and Bhudevi complexes, besides other places like Satyanarayanapuram, Bairagipatteda and Ramanaidu school, in Tirupati, officials said.
- Chaos broke out at Srinivasam to get the tokens for the annual pilgrimage. “This resulted in a stampede-like situation, as the pilgrims surged forward towards the counters to get the tokens,” the official added.
PM Modi expresses grief
Pained by the stampede in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. My thoughts are with those who have lost their near and dear ones. I pray that the injured recover soon. The AP Government is providing all possible assistance to those affected: PM @narendramodi
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 8, 2025
