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Non-Hindu devotees at Tirumala will have to profess faith in deity

August 10, 2012 17:49 IST

Pilgrims belonging to faiths other than Hinduism will have to submit a declaration form from August 13 before entering the Tirumala shrine near Tirupati stating that they have faith in the presiding deity, Lord Venkateswara.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, which manages the over 2,000-year-old hill shrine, has decided to make it mandatory for non-Hindu devotees, including VIPs, to sign the declaration forms, temple officials said on Friday.

Non-Hindus have to give the undertaking that they have faith in Lord Venkateswara, they said.

The declaration form would be available in all TTD offices.

The Tirumala shrine with an annual revenue of Rs 2,000 crore is the richest in India.