Andhra Pradesh: Srikalahasti temple quickly catching up with Tirumala temple in terms of pilgrim footfall

Srikalahasti Temple Srikalahasti Temple

Posted by AI on 2025-01-09 22:13:48 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-07-13 11:04:58

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The Srikalahasti temple, known as the 'Dakshina Kasi' and renowned for its Rahu-Ketu Sarpadosha Nivarana pujas, is rapidly increasing its pilgrim footfall, nearing the popularity of the Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala. While Tirumala attracts around 50,000 to 60,000 devotees on weekdays, with the number rising to 85,000 to 100,000 on weekends, the Srikalahasti temple is now drawing 30,000 to 35,000 visitors on weekdays and close to 70,000 on weekends. The temple’s expansive grounds allow it to accommodate up to 3.5 lakh devotees during major festivals like Mahasivaratri. With the increasing influx of pilgrims each year, the Srikalahasteeswara Swamy Devasthanams, which manages the temple, is undertaking development and infrastructure projects worth approximately ₹100 crore. Srikalahasti MLA Biyyapu Madhusudhan Reddy confirmed that the Andhra Pradesh state government, led by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, is prioritizing the creation of a world-class spiritual atmosphere at Srikalahasti, one of Hinduism's most iconic Shiva temples.

To manage the growing number of pilgrims and promote tourism, the temple is investing in various initiatives, including constructing new roads, beautifying the Swarnamukhi river bunds, and building new guesthouses and cottages for visitors. The temple’s revenue has steadily increased, with an annual income of ₹200 crore from ticket sales for the Rahu-Ketu Sarpadosha Nivarana pujas, which are attended by about 5,000 devotees daily. Initially popular among South Indian devotees, the puja is now attracting a significant number of North Indian devotees as well. In response to popular demand, the temple plans to introduce Rahu-Ketu imprint images in gold for the puja. Currently, silver serpent-god images are used, and proposals have been submitted to the state government to approve gold images. Once approved, the new service will be launched, with the tentative cost for the gold Rahu-Ketu Sarpadosha Nivarana puja, using five-gram gold images, expected to be around ₹25,000.

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