Live
- National Energy Conservation Week from today
- Tourism projects to be put on fast track as VMRDA sets targets
- AI in KGBVs to empower students, build competencies
- Waltair Division observes ‘Energy Conservation Week’
- Srikakulam police bust two fake note gangs
- 3 held, 810 kg ganja seized
- Workshop on ‘Live Agri-technologies’ concludes at SPMVV
- Advancing Biomedical Research with NMR techniques
- Key Highlights of India in 2024
- Expose Opposition’s evil propaganda in villages: Seethakka to Cong workers
Bhadradri Lord’s darshan turns dearer
Devotees beware. Make sure your wallet is full if you have any plans to attend the Tiru Kalyana Mahotsavam of Lord Sri Seetha Ramachandra Swamy at Bhadrachalam, widely known as Dakshin Ayodhya.
Kalyanam ticket prices jacked up to fill temple coffers
Khammam: Devotees beware. Make sure your wallet is full if you have any plans to attend the Tiru Kalyana Mahotsavam of Lord Sri Seetha Ramachandra Swamy at Bhadrachalam, widely known as Dakshin Ayodhya.
The crass commercialisation that has pervaded the temples in the country has also caught the Bhadradri temple management.
Barely a couple of months ago, the temple authorities doubled the prices of various puja and seva tickets. Then the authorities reasoned that hundi collections and other sources of revenue were not enough to meet the maintenance costs of the temple.
If this was not enough, the temple authorities have come up with yet another shocker by increasing the Kalyanam tickets of the Lord Rama scheduled to take place on March 28. Moreover, the space left for ordinary devotees, who couldn’t afford to spend on Kalyanam ticket, was little with lion’s share of space at the Mithila Stadium, where Lord’s celestial marriage is to performed, allotted to rich and affluent. Going by the stats of the ticket pricing and number, the space allotted for the free darshan of the Lord could accommodate about 15,000 devotees against its capacity of around 35,000. The price of 1,250 couple’s ticket which was Rs 3,016 last year has been increased to Rs 5,000 numbering.
The much-sought after 1,425 VVIP tickets that were priced Rs 2,000 last year has been increased to Rs 3,000.Besides this, the temple authorities decided to sell 977 tickets of Rs 1,116; 1,500 tickets of Rs 500; 7,598 tickets of Rs 200 and 6,032 tickets of Rs 100. It may be mentioned here that the temple administration failed to earn huge revenues last year due to lack of demand for the Kalyanam tickets. Speaking to The Hans India on Monday, the temple executive officer K Jyothi said that the temple is offering Sachitra Ramayan, Ramadasu Keertan, sari and pancha, Mutyala Talambralu and four meals tickets to devotees who buy couple’s tickets.
When asked about the last year’s failure to sell all the tickets, the EO denied to comment stating that she was not the official then. However, she expressed confidence that the improved facilities and quality of service would attract the devotees. Meanwhile, sources in the temple said that there may be an increase in the price of prasadams too.
