TTD contemplates ring road atop Tirumala

​Tirumala: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is apparently keen on laying a ring road atop Tirumala Hills to enable lakhs of devotees to have darshan during Lord Balaji’s Garuda Seva, performed as part of the annual Brahmotsavams.

Interestingly, the TTD and State government had faced fierce resistance to their proposal to widen the ‘Mada’ streets and to dismantle the ‘Veyyi kalla Mandapam’ atop Tirumala, in the past.

According to TTD Chairman Chadalavada Krishna Murthy, a ring road should be built to facilitate lakhs of devotees to watch the Garuda Seva of Lord Balaji.

He opined that no devotee should have to go back discontent and that every devotee should derive satisfaction from watching the processional parade of the deities during Brahmotsavams.

He felt that the deities should be paraded on the proposed ring road instead of the Mada streets. It remains to be seen as to what kind of response the proposal would meet with from the public and Agama Shastra pundits.

In fact, it is a popular sentiment that the then TDP government had lost power for dismantling the Veyyi Kalla Mandapam.

Also, many shops and structures would have to be dismantled to make way for the ring road and rehabilitation of the displaced would certainly be a major concern.