SAFE AND MEMORABLE JOURNEY ARE OUR PRIORITIES-TTS EO

•IT solutions to serve devotees better
•Focus on PACs to make them single stop facility
•Plantations and hanging gardens to enhance greenery and aesthetics

Tirumala, 4 October 2016: The moving spirit behind the land mark happenings in the hoary Vaishnavite shrine of Tirumala, Dr D Sambasiva Rao says that it is his goal to transform Tirumala into a Vaikuntha on earth so that devotees go back with fully loaded devotional and spiritual elixir of Lord Venkateswara during their visit, leaving behind all their pains, worries and worldly issues when they come here.

IT FOR TRANSPARENT SERVICES TO PILGRIMS

‘IT initiatives were aimed at making the devotees more happier. We have adapted it in almost every function including darshan, accommodation, laddu prasadams, donations to TTD trusts, cultural activities, digitization of vedic scripts for posterity, Annamayya keertans, Alwar Divya Prabandham etc. We have digitized 3700 holy vedic scripts besides rare Annamayya scripts which any one could down load, read and enjoy “, he said.

DONOR MANAGEMENT APPLICATION

With a unique donor management application, the TTD is also providing hassle free services to donors who contribute a lot to Srivari temple’s various trusts and schemes. “The common devotee is our biggest and invisible donor and hence our struggle and focus is to benefit him in many ways”, he adds.

IT ENSURES MINIMAL EXPENDITURE

The EO said IT solutions had helped in not only providing quality services to devotees but also in saving huge amounts of devotees contributions in purchases, administration, marketing etc. The monthly e-auctioning of tonsured hair, purchase of commodities on Spice board through e-bids, disposal of garbage and hygienic environment to Tirumala, purchase jaggery, milk, ghee, rice and other products directly from bidders all have been made possible due to IT initiatives”, he said.

FOOL PROOF FACILITIES IN PACs

Briefing on his next concept, the EO said, “I want the PACs (pilgrims amenities complexes) to be strengthened with fool proof facilities so that people need not worry about taking rooms. We would rather increase the number of PACs where all aspects of Tirumala visit is taken care off at low cost or no cost to pilgrims – safety, hygienic toiltets, bath rooms, lockers, geysers, anna prasasams, laddu etc”, he added.

GO GREEN CAMPAIGN

TTD has launched a green campaign to put up plantations of sandal wood, red sanders and also long living trees like peepal (Raavi) and banyan(Marri) trees.

TTD is setting up hanging gardens like the one you see in front of Srivari Temple which is being replicated in a phased manner in the guest houses and other premier buildings in Tirumala. The objective is that these green large baskets with creepers and flower plants soothe the pilgrims from the pains of the yatra and enhance the devotional quotient of Tirumala”, he feels.

SANDALWOOD PLANTATION IN 100HECTARES

Commenting on sandal wood plantations he said TTD presently grew sandal wood on 12 hectares of land and plans to hike it to 100 hectares. “We need about half a ton of sandal wood every year for rituals in Srivari temple. TTD also is promoting green campaign by supplying about 3 lakh saplings of sandal wood to farmers and interested people as vruksha prasadam. In sandalwood plantation we want to become self-reliant”, he added.

NEW COMPLEXES FOR PILGRIMS

The Shreegra darshanam complex has given good results. The Divya Darshanam complex is also ready for operation and soon there will be a Sarva darshanam complex”, he says.

The other focus of TTD is also on promoting Hindu bhakti culture by streamlining bhajan mandalis, hari katha bhagavathars, and other folk art performers. “We want TTD to fine tune these bhakti formats and promote their performaces in festivals across the state and also country. We are also utilizing IT tools to promote devotional culture troupes and formats“, he said.

The TTD Executive Officer who had pioneered several path breaking initiatives for the sake of devotees says, “It is my vision to make Tirumala appear on world map as a hygienic, safe, green and also the best devotional and spiritual hub”, he asserts.

ISSUED BY PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER, TTDs,TIRUPATI