NE NEWS SERVICE
TIRUPATI, JUNE 24
The shrine of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala Hills has netted an income of Rs 7.5 crore in the last two weeks since the temple was re-opened on June 11. The place of worship was shut during the COVID-19 lockdown and incurred a loss of Rs 500 crore.
The ”hundi” (offerings box) collection alone fetched about Rs 6 crore in cash as offering while the online sale of Rs 300 darshan tickets accounted for Rs 1.5 crore during the last 14 days, a temple official said on Wednesday.
The value of gold, silver and other precious offerings from devotees in the hundi has not yet been ascertained, he said. The highest single-day cash offering in the hundi was Rs 67 lakh on June 21 and the lowest Rs 37 lakh on June 17, the official said.
Observing the lockdown, the entry into the shrine was restricted to 6,000 devotees per day on June 11, he said. The daily footfall was increased from June 20, he said. Now, about 9,000 devotees, including 6,000 devotees who had Rs 300 tickets got online, were being allowed into the shrine daily, he said adding that about 25,000 devotees had got their heads tonsured in the last two weeks.
