Devotees would also not be allowed to travel on all routes, including the 10-km-long stairway leading to the shrine.
Mukherjee, accompanied by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kirankumar Reddy, was in the temple for about 30 minutes. Before leaving the shrine, Mukherjee was presented with sacred laddu prasadam and holy water by temple management, temple sources told PTI
Star batsman Sachin Tendulkar offered worship at the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara in the wee hours in Tirupati.
Claiming he was not responsible for the tragic stampede at Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Kasibugga that left nine devotees dead, the 94-year-old founder of the temple has said devotees rushed on their own during the gathering.
The public thought that something was falling and panicked. They fell from a height of about six feet. Since the collapse was from a height of six feet, one person fell on another, and that led to the incident, he added.
Opening the gate at once led to those coming out pushing against us, she said adding she fell down and three people fell on her.
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.
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.
Currently, Kalyan is on a three-day visit to the temple as part of his 11-day penance to atone for the alleged sins committed by the previous YSRCP regime at Tirumala.
Jennifer Lopez sang, Ranveer Singh danced, Janhvi Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Jacqueline Fernandez, Nora Fatehi performed at American businessman Rama Raju Mantena's daughter, Netra Elizabeth's Udaipur wedding with tech entrepreneur Vamsi Gadiraju.
The Tirumala temple, dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is among the most revered and visited pilgrimage sites in India, drawing millions of devotees every year.
The allegations sparked a massive controversy across the country, hurting the sentiments of crores of Hindus.
TTD Board member Bhanu Prakash Reddy has apologiesed for the incident and stated that the trust would conduct an inquiry in this regard and take appropriate action.
Those arrested have been identified as Vipin Jain and Pomil Jain, former directors of Bhole Baba Dairy, Apoorva Chawda from Vaishnavi Dairy and Raju Rajasekharan from AR Dairy, they said.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the custodian of Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple, has barred 18 employees from participating in all religious activities for allegedly partaking in non-Hindu activities. The decision has been defended by the Andhra Pradesh government, citing the need to protect the religious sentiments of Hindu devotees. The move has sparked debate, with some supporting the TTD's stance and others criticizing it as discriminatory.
Reddy's appeal comes days after Naidu alleged during a NDA legislative party meeting that the previous YSRCP government did not even spare Sri Venkateswara temple and used substandard ingredients and animal fat for making laddus.
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.
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.
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.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), custodian of Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple, has banned political and hate speeches at Tirumala. The decision comes in response to recent incidents where individuals, including political leaders, made political or inflammatory statements before the media near the temple premises after Darshan, disrupting the spiritual peace. The TTD warned of legal action against violators.
Kalyan urged everyone to come together to put an end to the desecration of the 'Sanathana Dharma' (Hinduism) in any form.
Anna Konidala, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan's wife, worshipped at the Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati and participated in the Srivari Suprabhata Seva on Monday, April 14, morning.
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.
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 temple is arguably the busiest and richest in the world, with probably only the Vatican matching it.
TDP spokesperson Anam Venkata Ramana Reddy in a press conference claimed that the adulteration has been confirmed by a Gujarat-based livestock laboratory, on the ghee samples provided by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, which manages the famous Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple.
Naidu claimed that the previous YSRCP government did not even spare Sri Venkateswara temple and used substandard ingredients and animal fat for making laddus.
On Friday, March 21, 2025, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu along with his family offered prayers at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati.
The annual cash offerings of the hundi in the just ended calendar year have even crossed Rs 1000 crore
The thrilling last-ball win by Chennai Super Kings in the IPL final against Gujarat Titans 'is a miracle' and only the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni could pull off such a show, said former BCCI president Narayanswami Srinivasan.
TDP supremo and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu claimed that the previous YSRCP government did not even spare Sri Venkateswara temple and used substandard ingredients and animal fat for making laddus.
As the controversy continues to reverberate nationwide, various quarters are demanding steps to safeguard the sanctity of Hindu temples and their 'prasadam'.
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.
Pictures of Ram Charan Teja and his newly wedded bride at Tirupati Temple.
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 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.
This is Modi's second visit to the temple since he became the prime minister in 2014.
To keep the flames under check, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the supply of Nandini ghee to make Tirupati laddus was suspended one-and-half years ago, during the BJP government's tenure.
Reaching out to Dalits and backward classes, the administration of the Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirupati has launched several initiatives for the community including training them in performing temple rituals.
The Tirupati Laddu row intensified on Friday with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which is managing the super-rich temple, backing Chief Minister N Chandra Babu Naidu's claim that the famous 'prasadam' had animal fat and Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy dubbing the accusations as 'atrocious'.
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