SRI LANKA, July 13, 2008: The Tirumala Venkateswara Temple has overtaken the Vatican as world’s most visited place of worship. With more than 60,000 daily visitors and an average of 19 million visitors a year, it attracts almost double the estimated number of people visiting Vatican City. The numbers are so large that every visitor is given a bar-coded wristband which will indicate the time of his or her ‘dharshan’ — the puja time with the deity.
Five hundred thousand people are expected at the annual Brahmotsavam celebrations that began yesterday. The historic and sacred temple of Sri Venkateswara is located on the seventh peak of the Tirupati Hill. The benefits acquired by a pilgrimage to Tirupati Temple, also known as Tirupati Balaji Temple are mentioned in the Rig Veda and Asthadasa Puranas. In these epics, Sri Venkateswara is described as the great bestower of boons.
The temple is the most visited Hindu place of worship and is the world’s second richest in terms of the offerings made by pilgrims to God.