TIRUPATI, INDIA, December 31, 2006: As the time ticked in for the arrival of New Year, the flow of pilgrims into the temple of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala peaked up, even as VVIPs also continued to throng the temple. Some of the top dignitaries who reached Tirumala on Sunday were Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan and two Central Ministers Shelja and Panabaka Lakshmi, and not to mention the scores of State Ministers, Supreme Court and High Courts judges, MPs, MLAs and top civil and police officials. Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who was to have arrived on Sunday on the two-day pilgrimage, has cancelled his program. As the pilgrims, who thronged the temple on Saturday for the auspicious day of Vaikuntha Ekadasi receded, a fresh wave of New Year-eve devotees hit Tirumala, whose systems virtually burst at their seams.
The waiting time had already crossed 100-plus hours, leaving the pilgrims waiting in the serpentine queues restive, blaming their plight on TTD officials, who in turn attributed the problem to the “record crowd” this year. The New Year day falling immediately after the weekend triggered a huge congregation, throwing out of gear all the arrangements. With all categories of accommodation both in the TTD and the private cottages, guesthouses and choultries (free pilgrim’s housing) full, most pilgrims, including the old and children, were forced to stay on the reception office verandahs and queue sheds in the biting cold. The hundi (collection box) at the temple registered an all-time high income of US$457,000 on a single day on Saturday.