Tirupati / Tirumala, April 10, 2026 – Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Executive Officer M Ravichandra has announced plans to expand the Srivari Seva program and introduce a ranking system for Srivari Sevaks, allowing higher‑performing volunteers to serve in sensitive temple areas including the sanctum surroundings. The initiative aims to strengthen volunteer‑based pilgrim‑management across TTD temples, in line with directions from Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Expansion of Srivari Seva
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TTD intends to expand Srivari Seva to nearly 27,000 temples under the Endowments Department, linking the existing Tirumala‑centric volunteer model to a wider statewide network.
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Volunteers will assist in:
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Regulating queues during special sevas and festivals.
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Guiding and helping devotees (especially elderly, differently abled, and first‑time visitors).
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Performing small‑scale temple‑services such as preparing flower garlands, managing minor rituals, and supporting crowd‑control.
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Ranking system for Srivari Sevaks
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A performance‑based ranking system will be introduced, under which Srivari Sevaks are graded (e.g., Excellent / Very Good / Average) by Group Supervisors and Trainers based on discipline, punctuality, helpfulness, and adherence to Seva norms.
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Higher‑ranked sevaks may be assigned to key locations such as:
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Sanctum‑surrounding galleries,
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special‑seva counters,
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complaint‑redressal desks, and
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crowd‑management‑points in Vaikuntham Queue Complex.
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This reform aims to professionalise volunteer‑service, improve service‑quality for devotees, and create career‑progression‑like pathways within the Seva ecosystem.
Accommodation for middle‑class devotees
Ravichandra stated that middle‑class devotees face a shortage of affordable rooms in Tirumala, as current lodging largely serves upper‑class, upper‑middle‑class, lower‑income, and poor sections.
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Instead of building new structures on the hill, TTD will rebuild age‑old, dilapidated buildings and allocate them to middle‑class pilgrims at reasonable rents.
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Future expansion of lodging will focus on Tirupati, where new dormitory‑style complexes can be developed without disturbing the hill‑environment and Agama‑sensitive sites.
Improving darshan experience
With only about 15–16 hours per day available for darshan (after accounting for daily agama‑governed rituals), the EO said that core rituals cannot be shortened, but certain Arjitha Sevas (mainly revenue‑oriented paid‑services) may be re‑examined after consultations with Agama scholars and Hindu religious heads.
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Some paid sevas may be shifted to secluded timings so that Sarvadarshanam can continue uninterrupted during those periods.
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TTD is also studying pilgrim‑footfall patterns over the past decade to increase daily darshan capacity; by issuing more tokens in Tirupati during less‑crowded hill‑times, the system can bring in more devotees without overcrowding.
Using AI‑based crowd‑management and forecasting models in the AI‑driven Pilgrim Command‑Control Centre, TTD aims to gradually raise daily darshan capacity from 80,000 to 90,000 and eventually to 1 lakh devotees, while strictly adhering to Agama rules.
