Tirumala, April 26: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman D K Audikesavulu on Sunday had the Alipiri toll gate to Tirumala opened after closing time and ordered officials to allow a high-powered group of pilgrims into the temple. Among those allowed this break in convention were industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s wife Nita, his mother Kokilaben, and SachinTendulkar’s wife Anjali.
Nita Ambani and the others reached the Alipiri toll gate at 12.40 a m, well past the 12 a m closing time. Audikesavulu arrived from Chittoor and had the security officials open the gates and allow them in.
The toll gates at Alipiri (in Tirupati) and on Tirumala are closed from midnight until 3 a m everyday. No one is allowed in during this time, except a grace time of five to ten minutes occasionally.
After reaching Tirumala, Audikesavulu accompanied Kokilaben through the entrance for senior citizens into the Srivari temple and offered prayers to Lord Venkateshwara during ‘ekanta seva’. She was joined by Nita Amabani and the others during the ‘suprabhata seva’ later. The group left the temple after offering prayers.
The group visited the temple to pray for the success of Mukesh Ambani’s Mumbai Indians team in the IPL 3 final.
Audikesavulu Naidu said that Nita Amabani and others were delayed by 30 minutes on their drive from Chennai and when they reached Alipiri, the gates were closed.
“Considering that all of them were women and there were security concerns as they are VVIPS, we asked the officials to allow them in. Further, all of them had ‘suprabhata seva’ tickets and going after 3 a m would be a waste of the tickets. So, after a thorough check at the Alpiri checkpoint, we let them go to Tirumala,” he said.
Executive officer I Y R Krishna Rao said that he would look into the matter, once he returned to Tirumala.
–Agencies