TIRUPATI, INDIA, May 20, 2005: In a move that would bring relief to thousands of common devotees who wait for hours together to worship Lord Venkateswara at the famous hill shrine in nearby Tirumala, the temple administration today decided to air-condition the entire giant second queue complex. The decision to install air conditioners on a large scale in all the 23 compartments of the crescent-shaped massive complex close to the temple was taken at the meeting of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Board for the benefit of the devotees thronging the temple from across the country and abroad, its chairman, T. Subbirami Reddy, told reporters. Each compartment had the capacity of providing shelter for at least 600 devotees and the air-conditioning work at all compartments would be completed in six months, he said. The board also decided the install plasma TVs or LCD screens in the complex to show uninterrupted Hindu mythological stories and also devotional programs connected to the temple for the benefit of waiting devotees.
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