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Pilgrims landing at Tirupati without prior booking will now have a place to stay

A concern for devotees who arrive at short notice at Tirumala is the unavailability of accommodation, while searching for hotel rooms in Tirupati is expensive and time-consuming. To this end, Vice President C P Radhakrishnan and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu recently inaugurated a new multi-storey pilgrims’ amenities complex, with a capacity to […]

2 min readHyderabadUpdated: Sep 30, 2025 02:09 PM IST

CP Radhakrishnan and N. Chandrababu Naidu at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam.

Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan inaugurated the new PAC (Pilgrim Amenities Centre) 'Venkatadri Nilayam', along with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, Tirupati (Photo: X@sansad_tv).

A concern for devotees who arrive at short notice at Tirumala is the unavailability of accommodation, while searching for hotel rooms in Tirupati is expensive and time-consuming. To this end, Vice President C P Radhakrishnan and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu recently inaugurated a new multi-storey pilgrims’ amenities complex, with a capacity to accommodate 4,000 devotees.

The stay will be free of cost for devotees visiting Tirumala without prior booking, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the board which manages the temple, said.

The new accommodation complex, called Venkatadri Nilayam, has a 2,69,617 sq ft building constructed for Rs 102 crore. “The complex comprises 16 dormitories, each with a feeding chamber for babies, 24-hour RO water facilities, two dining halls where 1,400 people can eat at a time, 2,400 safety lockers, 500 toilets with 24×7 hot water, and ten high-speed elevators,’’ TTD board chairman B R Naidu said. Sorting machines to dispose of plastic waste have also been installed there.

The VP had his maiden darshan of the Sri Venkateswara temple on Wednesday night. On Thursday morning, the VP and the CM went around the complex to see the amenities. The Chief Minister handed over the first accommodation token to a woman devotee. They also inaugurated modern equipment for the temple’s kitchen to help prepare a large quantity of prasadam. The machines can effectively sort and remove impurities and foreign particles from ingredients used to prepare famous laddus and other offerings.

The CM also held a meeting with TTD officials to initiate measures to reduce waiting time for the darshan. Naidu said that a minimum of 4,500 devotees have darshan per hour, and efforts are being made to increase it to 5,500 per hour.

Sreenivas Janyala

Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance. Expertise and Experience Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues: High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy. Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules. Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes. Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak. Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More

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