Owing to the summer vacation hill shrine of Lord Sri Venkateswara atop Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh has been witnessing unprecedented rush of pilgrims over the last few days.

In the last five days alone, 4,32,213 devotees had darshan of Lord Venkateswara. More than 90,000 devotees visited the temple on May 16 and 17. Likewise, the number of devotees offering tonsure also increased significantly. More than 43,000 devotees offered hair on May 18, 19, and 20.

According to TTD officials, during the last five days, nearly 19 lakh devotees were served Annaprasadams, tea, coffee, milk, and buttermilk at various locations in Tirumala.

"In the last five days, a sea of humanity witnessed in Tirumala and is expected to continue for the next few weeks. TTD has made extensive arrangements for the convenience of devotees," said a senior TTD official on Thursday.

As accommodation facilities in Tirumala are limited, TTD can allot accommodation only to around 60,000 devotees at a time. 9,000 lockers are available in PAC-1, PAC-2, PAC-3, PAC (Padmanabha Nilayam), and PAC-5. All these facilities are presently fully occupied with overcrowding.

TTD has also made elaborate arrangements for devotees offering tonsure to the Sri Venkateshwara. Along with the main Kalyanakatta, 11 mini Kalyanakattas are functioning for devotees 24×7.

Special sheds have been erected around the Srivari Temple surroundings, Laddu counters, and other high-footfall areas. Further, synthetic enamel cool paint has been applied on the four Mada Streets to protect devotees from ground heat. Temporary toilets have also been arranged along the queue lines from Batagangamma Temple Circle to Outer Ring Road.

Hundreds of Srivari Sevaks are continuously distributing drinking water and Annaprasadams to devotees waiting in outside serpentine queue lines in round the clock shifts.

Similarly, under the supervision of the TTD Health Department, mobile water drums are being used in crowded areas to provide drinking water to devotees waiting in outside lines through Srivari Sevaks.

In accordance with the crowd situation, a mobile first-aid center has also been kept available along the queue lines on the Outer Ring Road.