Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), the trust that manages the famous Tirupati temple, launched the online ticket booking facility from today. Users will be able to book special darshan tickets that cost Rs 300 from January 12 to February 28, according to the TTD website. The booking started after the trust released the special darshan quota for the first two months of the year. The quota, however, will not be available from February 22-28 due to Balalayam, when priests will be involved in several puja rituals inside the sanctum sanctorum.
Meanwhile, devotees are heading to the temple for the darshan of Vaikuntha Dwar (Gate to Heaven) during the Vaikuntha Ekadashi period from January 2-11.
The Vaikuntha Dwar will not be opened in the entire year except this time period, which is considered auspicious.
In November last year, the TTD declared its net worth for the first time since its founding 1933. The documents showed that the world famous Lord Venkateswara temple's net worth is over Rs 2.5 lakh crore (about USD 30 billion) is more than the market capitalisation of IT services firm Wipro, food and beverage company Nestle and state-owned oil giants Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
Its assets include 10.25 tonnes of gold deposits in banks, 2.5 tonnes of gold jewellery, about Rs 16,000 crore of deposits in banks, and 960 properties across India.
TTD is growing richer and richer as the cash and gold offerings made by devotees at the hill temple continue to rise and fixed deposits in banks are also generating more income in view of increase in interest rates, a temple official said.
The assets owned by TTD include land parcels, buildings, cash and gold deposits in the banks, given as offerings to the temple by devotees.
