Explaining the preventive steps taken up for the control of AIDS and HIV to media persons in Tirupati on Thursday night, Chandravadan said nearly 400 sex workers were engaged in the flesh trade in the holy hills visited by pilgrims from across the world.
From religious gatherings to public events, 2025 witnessed a series of stampedes and crowd-related incidents that exposed the fragile line between mass participation and human tragedy, leaving behind loss, questions, and urgent lessons on crowd safety.
Meanwhile, the India captain was seen with his wife Devisha at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh, where the couple offered prayers on the occasion of Vaikuntha Ekadashi.
'While my wife and others were trying to obtain Vaikunta Dwara Darshan tickets, a stampede occurred, resulting in her death'
Tirumala, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, was caught in a massive flood of unprecedented scale on Thursday, leaving hundreds of pilgrims stranded even as a heavy downpour under the influence of a depression in Bay of Bengal battered the temple-town Tirupati and many parts of Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh.
"For five minutes we thought all of us were dead. I have been coming to the temple for the past 25 years and it has never happened like this," D Venkata Lakshmi said, recounting the horrific Tirupati stampede that killed six persons and left over 40 injured.
Ahead of YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's planned visit to Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple at Tirumala Hills, the district police on Friday issued notice to several leaders and cadre of the party not to defy Section 30 of the Police Act which is in force.
Four devotees, including three women, died and several more were injured in a stampede at the Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati on Wednesday night. Hundreds of devotees had turned up for the 10-day Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam, which begins on January 10.
A day after six persons died in the Tirupati stampede, the Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday announced a judicial inquiry into the incident that seems to have been the result of a policeman's innocuous act of opening the gate with the intention of aiding a sick woman.
This is not the first time that a large number of people have died in stampedes at temples and other religious gatherings over the years in India.
The Royal Challenger's Bengaluru parade in celebration of the team's maiden Indian Premiere League win in 18 years turned into tragedy as at least 11 fans died and several were injured in a stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Trust board on Friday expressed condolences over the recent stampede here and decided to offer free education for the deceased victims' children at its institutions.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, which governs the ancient shrine of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala here, on Wednesday announced that Lord Hanuman's birthplace was Anjanadri, a hillock at Japali Theertham located about 5 km from north of the hill temple.
The wall collapsed on the Rs 300 ticket queue line near the shopping complex on the ghat road from Simhagiri Bus Stand at around 3 am. Heavy overnight rains and strong winds are suspected to have loosened the soil, causing the structure to fall, Anitha told reporters.
Sources close to Reddy confirmed that his visit to the hill shrine has been cancelled, but did not immediately divulge the reason behind the decision that came just a couple of hours before he was supposed to depart to the temple town.
The move comes against the backdrop of allegations over the growing activity of Christian missionaries in and around Tirumala, the popular hill shrine in the state.
Amid concerns among devotees on the quality of ghee used in the famous Tirupati 'laddu prasadam', the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has said sanctity of the sacred sweetmeat has been restored.
An organisation for the protection of heritage temples, the Divya Desa Parampariya Padhukappor Peravai today demanded that the ongoing reconstruction work at the Tirumala Hills in Tirupati be halted immediately
Tirumala, the popular hill shrine in Andhra Pradesh, is embroiled in a gold coin scam following the alleged misappropriation of 300 gold coins, worth over Rs 15 lakh.
Devotees would also not be allowed to travel on all routes, including the 10-km-long stairway leading to the shrine.
The restrictions would come into force from Friday, Deputy Chief Minister for Medical and Health A K K Srinivas (Nani) said briefing reporters after a high-level meeting on COVID-19, chaired by Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. The daily rituals in all these temples will, however, be performed by the priests. Only the devotees will not be allowed, he said.
A row is brewing in Andhra Pradesh over the design of pillars to be used at the popular hill shrine of Tirumala, with Sangh Parivar organizations alleging that they resemble the Holy Cross.
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 star hopes for the success of his new film.
The development came to light on Wednesday when Chiranjeevi's brother-in-law and close advisor, Allu Arvind, flew in to Tirupati and went around the city to select a suitable venue for the star's maiden public meeting. Lakhs of fans and supporters from all over the state and abroad are likely to attend the inaugural meeting.
After worshipping at the Sri Ranganayaka Mandapam, the vice president-elect was honoured with the sacred silk cloth and holy prasadams by the management of the shrine.
Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday offered worship at the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara in the wee hours near Tirupati.
A bench, comprising Justices Rakesh Kumar and J Uma Devi, directed the CBI to register a first information report and submit a report in eight weeks.
Of the total expected revenue, the cash offerings made by millions of devotees in the sacred hundi (offering box) at the hill temple complex were expected to fetch about Rs 1,000 crore.
Tracing the remaining persons was proving a daunting task as the river remained in spate with over two lakh cusecs of floodwater gushing, sources said.
Government employees in 13 districts of coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema launched an indefinite strike on Tuesday protesting the proposed bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.
Sindhu was presented with the Lord's sacred silk cloth and holy prasadam by the temple management
What should be made out of the Madras high court order involving non-Hindus' entry into Hindu temples, when many non-Hindus are among the hundreds of thousands that have been worshipping at these temples for generations, asks N Sathiya Moorthy.
An internal communication of the home ministry states that the Naxal movement is fast spreading to the southern states, and if immediate action is not taken it could blow up into a full-fledged menace, reports Vicky Nanjappa.
For the first time in the last three decades, state-owned Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation buses on Tuesday did not operate its services on the hill routes leading to the Lord Venkateswara shrine following indefinite strike by transport unions across the state demanding reversal of the Centre's decision to carve out Telangana from Andhra Pradesh.
Though the 2000 year-old shrine remains closed in line with the national lockdown, all rituals are being conducted uninterruptedly and flawlessly by the priests
Temple sources said this was her second visit to Tirumala. She had earlier visited the temple on January 28, 1999.
This is Modi's second visit to the temple since he became the prime minister in 2014.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances