Tirupati: Famed Rahu-Kethu pujas at Srikalahasti halted till March 31

Tirupati: Two days after stopping the pilgrims to witness Abhishekams of Lord Srikalahasteeswara and Goddess Gnana Prasunambika, Srikalahasteeswara Devasthanam has decided to stop the much famed Rahu-Kethu pujas till March 31.

On Monday, it was decided by the temple administration to stall the entry of pilgrims into sanctum sanctorum of Lord and Goddess and to perform the four Abhishekams in a day in 'Ekantham' without allowing the public as a precautionary step in view of the increasing spread of COVID-19. After obtaining the permissions from the Commissioner, Endowments Department, Executive Officer C Chandrasekhar Reddy announced on Wednesday that Rahu-Kethu pujas also will be stopped from Thursday onwards.

However, the decision will be a big blow on the revenues of the Devasthanam as these pujas alone contribute about Rs 4 crore a month which is more than 50 per cent of temple's total income.

To get rid of 'Doshas' in their stars, people visit the temple in large numbers everyday to perform the pujas and after fulfilment of their wishes they come again. VVIPs from across the country, film stars, cricketers, politicians, bureaucrats and even several foreign nationals normally queue up at the temple for these pujas. On any given day not less than 2,500 devotees visit the temple to offer the pujas.

There are several types of tickets like Rs 500, Rs 750, Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,500. puja for Rs 5000 ticket-holders will be performed (for normally rich people and celebrities) by a separate priest for each ticket immediately without waiting for the time slots.

The pujas for Rs 2,500 and Rs 5,000 ticket-holders will be held inside the temple whereas puja for other tickets is held within the premises.

With the decision to stop these pujas for the next 13 days, the number of pilgrims visiting the temple is expected to come down drastically from Thursday. Also, the cut in revenues will make an impact on temple maintenance in the next fiscal, though it became inevitable in view of the safety issues of the pilgrims during these testing times, observed one official.