Tirumala, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, is gearing up for the auspicious Vaikunta Ekadasi festival. This year, Vaikunta Ekadasi falls on December 30 (Tuesday), followed by Dwadasi on January 1. To facilitate the Vaikunta Dwara Darshan for devotees, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is making elaborate arrangements. The TTD EO has announced that the Vaikunta Dwarams (holy portals) will remain open for 10 days, from December 30 to January 8.

Online Ticket Release:
For the convenience of pilgrims, TTD released the Special Entry Darshan (Rs 300) ticket quota for January today (Friday) at 10 AM on its official website. Given the significance of the Vaikunta Dwara Darshan, there was a massive rush for tickets. Consequently, the entire quota for the 10 days from December 30 to January 8 was booked within just 20 minutes of release. Officials stated that despite the heavy load on servers, the booking process concluded smoothly thanks to upgraded cloud technology.

Priority for Common Devotees:
For those who could not secure online tickets, TTD will issue a large number of offline tokens in Tirupati. Slotted Sarva Darshan (SSD) tokens will be issued at Alipiri, Srivari Mettu, and 9 other centers in Tirupati starting from 2 PM on December 29. Approximately 5 lakh tokens, at a rate of 50,000 per day, are expected to be issued for the 10-day period. Vigilance officials have appealed to devotees without tokens not to visit Tirumala, as only token holders will be allowed entry. The board has also clarified that VIP recommendation letters will not be entertained during these ten days.

Accommodation and Amenities:
In view of the heavy rush, advance booking of cottages has been cancelled, and rooms will be allotted on a first-come-first-served basis, prioritizing common devotees. Srivari Sevaks have been deployed to continuously supply food (Annaprasadam), milk, and coffee to pilgrims waiting in the queue lines. Security has been tightened to ensure a hassle-free experience for everyone.