Devotees visiting Tirupati may need to pay more, thanks to demonetization

Demonetization has badly affected not just businesses but also a lot of other institutions, among which religious ones are prominent. Now devotees visiting the famed Tirupati temple to offer prayers to Lord Balaji would require shelling out more money. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, which manages the temple, is planning to raise ticket prices after a dip in daily income has been noticed since November.

TTD's daily income was about Rs 5 crore, including interest on bank deposits, according to a news report by The Times of India. A part from the 'hundi' collections, TTD's coffers are filled by the sale of tickets, 'prasad', etc.

"After demonetisation, we observed a dent of Rs 1-2 crore on many days. Now, we are looking at bridging the revenue gap without burdening devotees," TTD chairman Chadalavada Krishnamurthy told TOI.

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) chairman C Krishnamurthy said they were looking at a small hike in ticket prices at the Tirupati temple to offset the fall in revenue post-demonetisation.

The proposal must first be cleared by the state government. Some time ago, TTD had proposed to increase the rates of tickets and 'prasad', but it was shot down by Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu.

TTD tickets range from Rs 50 to Rs 5,000. Most devotees buy special darshan tickets for Rs 300. At least 2,000 devotees go for VIP darshan every day, shelling out Rs 500. "The revenue gap can be bridged with a mild hike in ticket rates or Rs 5 to Rs 10 raise for various seva," officials told TOI.