The number of devotees taking the pilgrimage by foot to have a darshan of Tirumala Srivari has decreased due to recent developments. The movement of wild animals has prompted the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) to implement new rules regarding footpaths. Normally, around 70,000 to 90,000 devotees visit Tirumala Srivari daily, with 30 to 40 percent choosing to climb on foot.
The Alipiri route typically takes around 24 hours to reach Tirumala, and devotees are permitted on the Srivarimettu route from 6 am to 6 pm. Recently, there has been an increase in the movement of wild animals along the Alipiri footpath. On June 22, a four-year-old boy named Kaushik from Adon in Kurnool district was attacked by a cheetah at Edomile. Fortunately, the child escaped with minor injuries.
More recently, a cheetah attacked and killed a six-year-old girl named Lakshita from Nellore district near Lakshminarasimhaswamy temple on the Alipiri road. As a result, TTD has introduced restrictions on walking paths due to growing panic among devotees. To address the situation, TTD has announced specific timings for devotees traveling with children below 15 years of age. On the Alipiri staircase route, such devotees will be allowed from 5 am to 10 am, and on the Srivarimettu route, they will be permitted from 6 am to 3 pm.
Additionally, a security personnel-assisted group of 100 devotees will be escorted from Galigopuram to Lakshminarasimhaswamy temple due to increased leopard and bear activity.
Devotees are issued Divyadarshan Tokens at Alipiri Bhudevi Complex, which need to be scanned at the Galigopuram midway through the walkway. As a result of these measures and the recent tiger attacks and restrictions, the number of devotees walking has drastically decreased. On a recent Tuesday, only 19,000 devotees chose to make the journey to Tirumala on foot.
