At Tirupati temple, AI will be used to manage crowd, identify missing persons

Considered India’s first AI-powered pilgrim Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) at Tirumala, it is meant “to deliver real-time crowd prediction, faster clearance of queues of devotees, enhanced safety, and cyber threat monitoring across Tirumala”, Naidu said Thursday.

The project was done under a pro bono public-private model funded by NRIs. The software is powered by Kloudspot Inc, a Silicon Valley-based company.

According to officials, the facility at Vaikuntam Queue Complex-I integrates advanced cameras, 3D situational maps, and live dashboards monitored by a dedicated technical team, setting a national benchmark for pilgrim experience and temple governance, according to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).

The command-and-control centre is connected to 6,000 AI-enabled cameras with system processing 3,60,000 payloads every minute, 518 million events and generating 2.5 billion inferences daily in real time.

The command-and-control centres will predict crowd flows especially on holidays and auspicious days, prevent any untoward incidents, and protect devotees at every step, officials said.

The new command hub predicts “sarva darshanam” (free darshan) wait times, visualises congestion in 3D, and unifies cyber threat monitoring to protect pilgrims and temple systems.

With 6,000+ AI cameras and high-performance computers, Tirumala now processes millions of daily events to deliver faster queues and smarter incident response. The ICCC integrates crowd control, safety, and security of devotees and the temple at every step.

From drone-assisted emergencies to tablet-based staff validation, the ICCC brings real-time dashboards and predictive analytics to every step of the pilgrim journey, officials said.

Event-scale processing and immersive digital twin mapping give authorities transparency, staff efficiency, and devotees a calmer, more predictable darshan.

“The first temple ecosystem to unify physical and cyber operations, Tirumala’s ICCC sets a new standard for smart, secure, and spiritually centered service,” one official said.

What ICCC delivers

— Crowd prediction and queue analytics: Real-time density, wait-time estimation from Alipiri security check post onwards up to Tirumala, and sarva darshanam flow optimisation.

— Safety and security: Facial recognition-assisted identification for missing persons and incident response; automated alerts for distress signals; guided evacuation routes via 3D visuals.

— Interactive 3D maps flag red-zone congestion, queue compartments, and accommodation status for rapid decongestion.

— Monitoring to deter misinformation, defamatory content, and attacks on temple digital assets, protecting TTD’s reputation and operations.

— Operations centre of excellence: 24×7 monitoring by over two dozen trained staff, unified dashboards, and cross-department escalation for faster on-ground action.

— For pilgrims: Shorter, more predictable queues; quicker assistance; and clear information at every step.

— For staff: Unified situational awareness, safety tools, and AI insights to resolve issues faster.

— For authorities: Transparent dashboards, actionable alerts, and coordinated emergency response.

Meanwhile, Vice-President of India C P Radhakrishnan and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu Thursday inaugurated the new multi-storey Pilgrims Amenities Complex-5 with a capacity to accommodate 4,000 devotees at the Sri Venkateswara temple at Tirumala.

The accommodation will be available free of cost to devotees who come to Tirumala without any prior booking, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) said.

The new accommodation complex – called ‘Venkatadri Nilayam’ — is a massive 2,69,617 sq. feet building constructed at a cost of Rs 102 crore, and has several modern features. The complex comprises 16 dormitories each with a mother-feeding chamber, 24-hour RO water facilities on each floor, two huge dining halls where 1,400 people can eat at a time, 2,400 safety lockers, 500 modern toilet facilities with 24/7 hot water, 12 toilets for persons with disabilities, and 10 high-speed elevators, TTD Board Chairman B R Naidu said.

Sorting machines to dispose of tetra-packs and plastic waste have also been installed.

The chief minister also held a meeting with TTD officials to initiate measures to reduce waiting time for darshan. While the current capacity is 4,500 devotees per hour, efforts are being made to increase it to 5,500 per hour to “reduce the waiting time in the long queues”, the chief minister said.