Heavy crowd of devotees at the Ootlavaripalle Sri Subramanya Swami temple in Pakala mandal of Tirupati district.
The incessant drizzle throughout the day and the heavy rush of pilgrims to Tirupati during the ‘extended weekend’ made life miserable for the pilgrims as well as the local residents.
The Saturday and Sunday came in quick succession after Independence Day, making several take up unplanned visit to the temple city.
Even as the Tirumala temple was bursting at its seams, the Tirupati railway station and the APSRTC central bus station offered no respite to the commuting public.
The ‘Srinivasam’ and ‘Vishnu Nivasam’ pilgrim accommodation complexes, situated opposite the APSRTC complex and railway station respectively, virtually choked with vehicles with the inward and outward movement of pilgrims.
The rain added to the chaos by creating slush pools and potholes, thus making the traffic turn further sluggish. The intermittent and irregular rainfall pattern also caught many passengers off guard.
There was a heavy demand for seats in the private buses travelling towards Hyderabad and Bengaluru in view of the long weekend.
Published – August 18, 2025 06:39 am IST
