Despite record footfalls, waiting hours for darshan have been restricted to 1.5 to four hours, with no reports of stampede, overcrowding, or chaos.
| Photo Credit: Representative Image
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has successfully deployed an Artificial Intelligence–driven Command and Control Centre to dramatically cut waiting time for devotees, even amid record footfalls during the recent Vaikuntha Ekadasi festivities.
The initiative, rolled out on an experimental basis, has won widespread appreciation from the pilgrims and administrators alike, prompting plans for its permanent expansion across all darshan streams.
Despite a surge of devotees to the hill shrine, the TTD has ensured smooth and orderly darshan, replacing the traditionally long and arduous waits.
On the first day of Vaikuntha Ekadasi (December 30, 2025) alone, over 67,000 devotees had darshan of Lord Venkateswara without any hitch, followed by 70,000 on the following Dwadasi, and 65,000 devotees on January 1.
Incredibly, waiting hours for darshan were restricted to 1.5 to four hours, with no reports of stampede, overcrowding, protests, sloganeering, smashing of compartmental doors, or chaos as were witnessed till the previous year.
At the heart of this transformation is the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) set up at the Vaikuntham Queue Complex-1.
Equipped with more than 300 CCTV cameras and 42 facial-recognition cameras, the system provides a real-time, 3D visualisation of crowd movement across the temple and queue complexes.
Using AI-powered analytics, the system automatically flags congestion – areas with over 500 devotees turn red on the dashboard, alerting officials instantly, while green and yellow zones indicate manageable or smooth flow.
This real-time intelligence enabled swift redeployment of staff and dynamic rerouting of queues, preventing bottlenecks before they escalated.
The AI platform worked in tandem with the pre-booked, time-slotted darshan system, ensuring seamless coordination right from the entry to exit.
Speaking to The Hindu, TTD Additional Executive Officer Ch. Venkaiah Chowdary, the brain behind the initiative, said the success of the initiative during Vaikuntha Ekadasi encouraged the temple administration to extend the same AI-backed system to Sarva Darshan devotees from January 2.
Plans are also underway to deploy similar technology at the laddu counters and other high-footfall areas.
The ICCC had formally been inaugurated during the 2025 Brahmotsavams by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, as part of a broader push to modernise temple administration without compromising sanctity.
With the successful experiment, Tirumala has undoubtedly emerged as a model for how ancient pilgrimage centres can embrace cutting-edge technology to enhance devotee experience — without diluting the spiritual essence.
Published – January 02, 2026 07:59 pm IST