TTD to become a hub for spirituality, free meals, education and healthcare

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has directed the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) to design initiatives that reflect and promote Tirumala’s spiritual prominence across the world. He emphasized that TTD should stand as a symbol of spirituality, free meals, education, and healthcare.

Reviewing the Endowments Department and TTD at the Secretariat on Thursday, the Chief Minister said that the best practices followed at the Tirumala temple - such as prasadam preparation standards and queue management - should be adopted across major temples in the state. He insisted on using organic ingredients for prasadam and leveraging technology to manage crowds and improve the pilgrim experience. The CM also instructed officials to integrate the TTD devotees’ portal with Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) for better governance.

Chandrababu instructed officials to develop all hospitals in Tirupati - SVIMS, Ruia, and BIRRD - into model institutions offering high-quality medical services. Taking inspiration from the Sri Sathya Sai hospitals in Puttaparthi, he suggested inviting reputed doctors to serve as “Srivari Sevaks” and offering medical services through TTD hospitals.

He also directed TTD to procure medicines directly from manufacturers and to ensure quick medical response systems for pilgrims in emergency situations. The CM emphasized the use of electric vehicles in Tirumala to reduce pollution and said that all services must be brought under WhatsApp governance to improve accessibility for pilgrims.

With Vaikuntha Ekadashi approaching, he instructed TTD to make foolproof arrangements and to provide registration options in all major languages so more pilgrims could participate.

The Chief Minister said that the state’s plan to build 5,000 new temples should follow a redesigned model that enhances spiritual ambience and serenity. Committees comprising TTD board members will oversee these projects. Along with new constructions, he stressed the need for systematic renovation of ancient temples.

Officials informed the CM that TTD is currently constructing temples in eight states and has new projects coming up in Navi Mumbai and Ulundurpet (Tamil Nadu). A devotee has also come forward to sponsor a temple in Coimbatore. The Assam government has allotted 10 acres for a TTD temple, and the CM said he would request more land from the Assam Chief Minister. CM Chandrababu further stated that every TTD temple, in India or abroad, must remain spiritually connected to the main temple at Tirumala.

Highlighting the importance of providing faster darshan for common devotees, the CM instructed TTD to adopt innovative measures to improve crowd flow. TTD officials reported that currently eight devotees per minute are being allowed for darshan, and during festivals the focus is on serving ordinary pilgrims. They also explained that integrating cottage booking with darshan booking has reduced misuse of facilities.

TTD has upgraded laddu quality and introduced vada as part of the anna prasadam. Plans are under way to automate the kitchen to serve up to 2.75 lakh devotees daily. Sanitation monitoring is being done through a dedicated app. TTD is also planning to rename cottages and streets with references from scriptures and temple lore.

The review meeting was attended by Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, TTD Chairman B.R. Naidu, EO Anil Kumar Singhal, JEO Venkatiah Chowdary, and board members.