Fact Check: TTD did not announce 2 darshan slots for senior citizens in a day
Telugu Desam Party and its alliance parties Janasena and BJP won the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections with a roaring majority and formed the government. TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu was sworn in as the Chief Minister while Janasena leader Pawan Kalyan took oath as Deputy Chief minister.
TTD
Telugu Desam Party and its alliance parties Janasena and BJP won the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections with a roaring majority and formed the government. TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu was sworn in as the Chief Minister while Janasena leader Pawan Kalyan took oath as Deputy Chief minister. After taking the oath, Chandrababu Naidu visited the holy town of Tirumala and offered prayers to Lord Venkateswara. He vowed that he would cleanse the Tirupati-Tirumala administration. He also alleged that there were irregularities in the TTD Trust during the YSRCP government’s rule. The TTD oversees the funds and activities of the temples in Tirumala and Tirupati.
In light of these comments, a message in Telugu is going viral on social media platforms that claims TTD is providing 2 special slots for the darshan of Lord Venkateswara for senior citizens in Tirumala. Not only that, the message also claims that the pilgrims will also be offered free sambar and curd rice to eat. Two laddoos can be bought at the price of Rs 20 and if more laddoos are needed Rs 25 needs to be paid extra.
When translated, it reads: ‘Good news from TTD for senior citizens. Two slots are being allocated for senior citizens for free darshan of Lord Venkateswara. One at 10 am and another at 3 pm. You have to present proof of age with a photo ID and present it at the S1 counter. A road leading to the right side wall of the temple from the gallery under the bridge needs to be taken. No need to climb any stairs. A good seating arrangement is available. As you sit inside - hot sambar rice and curd rice and hot milk will be served. Everything is free. You pay Rs.20/- and get two Laddoos.
For more Laddoos, you can spend Rs. 25/- per laddu. From the car parking area at the temple exit gate, a battery car is available to drop you at the counter. All other queues are stopped during senior citizens’ darshan, only senior citizen darshan is allowed without any pressure. After darshan of the Lord, you can come out of the darshan within 30 minutes. Contact Helpdesk at Tirumala 08772277777. Contact Details: TTD.’
Fact check:
The claim is Misleading. No such announcement was made by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam.
When we used the words from the viral message and searched on Google, we found an article published on TV9 website with the exact same words in September 2022.
When we searched further, we found a website related to TTD, where it was mentioned that senior citizens, along with physically challenged and other medical patients can avail of darshan from Monday to Saturday at 3 pm.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) appealed to the pilgrims not to believe the false and misleading news regarding the darshan facilities extended to senior citizens and physically challenged devotees on various social media platforms. The TTD clarified that the tickets are made available to the devotees three months in advance. Close to 1,000 darshan tickets are issued every day.
The TTD appeals to the devotees not to believe in such false news or rumors that are being circulated on social media platforms and to log onto TTD's official website www.tirumala.org or ht
According to the article in The Hindu, the TTD issues tickets to senior citizens only online. There is no current booking quota. For the convenience of devotees, the online tickets are released on its website at 3 pm on the 23rd of every month regularly and the quota stands exhausted till August.
Hence, the claim that the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam will be providing two special slots for the darshan of Lord Venkateswara for senior citizens is Misleading. No such announcement has been made by the authorities.