Religious fervour marked the New Year celebrations at the Lord Venkateswara temple on January 1 (Monday).
Braving the chill in the climate, thousands of devotees gathered opposite the main temple complex to welcome the New Year amid the chants of ‘Govinda Govinda’ and ‘Jai Sri Ram’. The devotees lighted camphor and offered harathi at the gopuram. Some devotees also piled up laddus in front of the temple and chanted the Govinda Namam.
The devotees were allowed for darshan after the pre-dawn rituals and other religious formalities relating to Dhanurmasam were performed.
The Vaikunta Dwaram (Uttara Dwaram), which remained since December 23, was closed.
Meanwhile, the temple generated a record revenue of ₹1,398 crore from the offerings received in the ‘Hundi’ in 2023. For the 22nd consecutive month, the hundi income crossed the ₹ 100-crore mark. A staggering income of ₹129 crore was generated in July while the lowest of ₹108 crore was recorded in November.
Statistics revealed that about 2.62 crore devotees had visited the hill shrine in 2023.
