Tirupati Stampede: What Is The 10-Day Token Distribution That Caused Stampede & Chaos?

According to several reports, the Tirupati stampede occurred due to a massive rush of devotees waiting for their tokens for Vaikunta Dwara darshan.

by Shreya Ghosh
Tirupati Stampede: What Is The 10-Day Token Distribution That Caused Stampede & Chaos?

Tirupati’s Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple welcomes crores of devotees from all around the world throughout the year. This iconic religious site is this temple town’s most renowned destination and a must-visit place for most locals and tourists. Unfortunately, Tirupati reported a life-threatening stampede on Wednesday night. Scroll down to know what caused this terrifying chaos.

Stampede At Tirupati Killed At Least 6

Taking to X, Amitabh Chaudhary (@MithilaWaala) shared videos of the tragic incident in Tirupati.

According to several reports, the stampede occurred due to a massive rush of thousands of devotees waiting for their tokens for Vaikunta Dwara darshan. More than 4,000 people were at the location when this disastrous incident was reported.

People were jostling to get tokens for this special darshan of 10 days, triggering overcrowding in the premises and leading to this terrible mishap. Reports highlighted that at least six devotees died due to this stampede at the Tirupati temple. Over 40 people at the spot sustained injuries last night.

Videos surfacing on social media platforms show people scarily running away and pushing others attempting to save their lives in this chaotic situation. Police officials rushed to the location to control the crowd. Many injured devotees were given CPR. Clips of police rescuing people from the crowd and injured devotees being taken to ambulances are making rounds on the Internet.

Also read: Western Railway Imposes Penalty On Exceeding Luggage Limit, Issues Guidelines After Bandra Terminus Stampede

How Did So Many People Enter Inside?

Tirupati Stampede
Picture credit- X/ Amitabh Chaudhary (@MithilaWaala)

According to a report by India Today, a woman started feeling sick all of a sudden. She was standing in a line at Bairagi Pattida Park to get the special token for the 10-day darshan. Soon, gates were opened to rush her to a hospital for treatment. People standing outside saw the opened gates and ran inside without hesitating. This caused overcrowding and later triggered the stampede.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams organised separate token counters for devotees to get their tokens for Vaikunta Dwara darshan. Scheduled for January 9 morning, thousands of devotees reached the venue last night to get these tokens to seek blessings at Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple at designated times. Sadly, things took an unfortunate turn at night.

Also read: Tokenless Devotees Can Register Aadhaar Cards And Get 2 Laddu Prasadams At Special Counters: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams

We are shocked to hear the terrifying news.

Cover Image Courtesy: X/ Amitabh Chaudhary (@MithilaWaala)

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First Published: January 09, 2025 11:24 AM