TTD Land Swap Sparks Row as Darshan Tickets Open

Vijayawada, August 25: The Tirumala temple trust has found itself in the thick of controversy again only this time, it’s not about crowd control or missing laddus. It’s a land deal. A big one. And it’s spiraling fast into a political flashpoint, with the ruling TDP and the opposition YSRCP trading blows over what’s being called a ₹1,000 crore loss to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).

A Land Swap, And A Storm

The trigger? A sharp accusation from Bhumana Karunakar Reddy, the former TTD chairman and a senior leader in the YSR Congress Party. On Sunday, Reddy accused Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu of pushing through a questionable land exchange that he claims heavily favoured private players specifically the Oberoi Hotels Group.

The land in question isn’t just any plot. It’s 20 acres of TTD-controlled prime land along the southern corridor of the Tirumala hills, right along the Alipiri-Cherlopalli Road a busy stretch for pilgrims heading uphill. As per Reddy, this land is worth nearly ₹1,500 crore. In return, TTD received what he described as “remote, rural land” of significantly lower value. The numbers? A ₹1,000 crore shortfall, he says.

“This is not a development initiative. This is a real estate scam, plain and simple,” Reddy said, urging for a judicial probe. He wasn’t pulling punches.

TTD Hits Back, Defending the Deal

The temple board, of course, is having none of it. Just hours after the allegations surfaced, TTD issued a statement, flatly denying any wrongdoing. According to them, the deal wasn’t a rushed transaction, but the result of three separate board resolutions passed over the last nine months November 2024, May 2025, and July 2025.

They insist this was about preserving sanctity, not selling it off.

“The land acquired lies on the north side of Tirumala hill. It’s sacred ground. The swap was to protect the spiritual environment, reduce congestion, and enhance infrastructure for pilgrims,” said a senior TTD official. The Times of India quoted the trust’s leadership saying the southern land was already under pressure from vehicular movement, while the northern stretch was more suited for long-term spiritual infrastructure.

They also dismissed claims about Oberoi Hotels being a beneficiary. “There’s no private party involvement in this transaction,” the board said. Still, the whispers aren’t dying down.

Who Really Benefits?

This is where it gets murky. Deccan Chronicle reported that the land given up by TTD lies not far from where hospitality firms, including Oberoi, have been eyeing development projects. The newly acquired land, while considered spiritually significant, isn’t commercially lucrative by any measure.

Critics say that’s the whole point.

“They gave up land that could support future TTD-run facilities choultries, mandapams, even security infrastructure in favour of rocky terrain that will take years to develop,” said a former TTD engineer who asked not to be named. “This isn’t just poor planning. It’s suspicious.”

But so far, there’s no documented evidence linking Oberoi or any other private firm directly to this specific swap. Everything’s circumstantial. Still, in a temple town that runs on faith, perception matters as much as proof.

Devotees Watching, Some Uneasy

On the ground, public opinion is harder to pin down. Many devotees remain focused on getting darshan slots and hotel rooms, but the murmurs are growing.

“TTD lands are divine assets. They’re not real estate portfolios,” said S. Venkataramana, a Tirupati-based priest. “If the public loses trust in TTD, that’s a bigger loss than any land value.”

On social media, things have taken a sharper turn. #SaveTirumala trended briefly on Monday morning, with many demanding more transparency in TTD’s decision-making. “Can we see the land valuation reports? Who signed off on the swap? Who benefits long term?” asked a widely shared post on X.

Meanwhile, Business As Usual Or Almost

Ironically, while the board defended its land policy, it was also managing something far more immediate: the monthly scramble for darshan and accommodation tickets.

As per The Hans India, at 10 AM sharp on August 25, TTD opened its digital gates for the November quota of ₹300 Special Entry Darshan tickets. Within minutes, servers slowed down as tens of thousands logged on to the TTD website in hopes of securing a slot.

Then came the accommodation quota at 3 PM, covering both Tirupati and Tirumala. And in between, Telugu-language notifications reminded users about other releases:

10 AM: ₹300 special darshan tokens
11 AM: Sri Vaani Trust ticket bookings
3 PM: Free darshan tokens for senior citizens, divyang devotees, and the chronically ill

Despite the political backdrop, TTD’s digital systems held firm. No major outages were reported.

Where This Goes Next

What happens now is anyone’s guess. The YSRCP seems intent on making this a state-level issue, not just a temple one. Party insiders are reportedly preparing to push for a white paper on all TTD land dealings since 2023, hoping to force the state into a corner.

As for the temple board, it may face pressure to open up its valuation documents, meeting records, and land maps to public scrutiny. Whether it does so voluntarily remains to be seen.

This isn’t the first time TTD has faced heat over land use. But the timing, scale, and political baggage attached to this one make it different. With elections on the horizon and public trust hanging by a thread, what started as a routine land transaction may well turn into a defining controversy.

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Ananya Sharma

Senior Political Correspondent – [email protected] – Web

Covers Indian politics, governance, and policy developments with over a decade of experience in political reporting.

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