Tirumala Pilgrim Rush Leads to 24-Hour Wait Times and Crowds at Silathoranam

A heavy pilgrim rush at Tirumala over the weekend left thousands of devotees facing massive queues extending up to Silathoranam and waiting times of up to 24 hours. The surge in visitor numbers began on Friday afternoon, driven by the weekend holidays, and continued to cause significant congestion across the temple area.

The influx of pilgrims completely filled all the compartments within the Vaikuntam queue complex. Because the indoor holding facilities were entirely packed, the lines of waiting devotees spilled outside and formed long queues that extended all the way up to the Silathoranam landmark.

The overcrowding had a major impact on the waiting times for the different darshan categories. Devotees waiting for the Sarva Darshan experienced approximate delays of 24 hours. At the same time, those who had opted for the special entry darshan were also subjected to long waits, with their waiting times stretching to over five hours.

The heavy rush of pilgrims was first observed on Friday afternoon as people began traveling for the weekend holidays. As the weekend progressed, the crowds did not diminish, keeping all the compartments of the Vaikuntam queue complex completely full. The resulting queues outside the complex continued to stretch up to Silathoranam, leaving devotees to wait for hours in the massive lines.

With both Sarva Darshan and special entry darshan experiencing severe delays, the weekend witnessed some of the longest waiting times, with Sarva Darshan taking approximately 24 hours and special entry darshan taking over five hours.

The continuous flow of devotees since Friday afternoon ensured that the Vaikuntam queue complex compartments remained completely full. This resulted in the extensive lines of pilgrims extending all the way to Silathoranam, making for a challenging weekend for the visiting devotees who had to wait for hours.