The temple town of Tirupati was absolutely teeming with pilgrims on Sunday evening, September 28, 2025, as a monumental crowd gathered to witness the highly anticipated ‘Garuda Seva.’ This deeply revered ritual forms a crucial part of the yearly Srivari Salakatla Brahmotsavams, drawing faithful followers from across the nation.
Starting from Saturday evening, September 27, 2025, the APSRTC central bus station and Tirupati railway station experienced a relentless surge of passengers. The sheer volume of devotees far outstripped the available public transport, resulting in lengthy waits and a desperate scramble for seats on buses heading to the holy hills.
Despite the APSRTC’s announcement of plans to deploy three buses every minute between Tirupati and Tirumala, the arrangements unfortunately proved insufficient to handle the unprecedented wave of pilgrims.
Adding to the challenges, the Alipiri security checkpoint and its associated toll plaza became bottlenecks, enduring severe traffic congestion due to extended queues for the mandatory security screenings.
Authorities worked diligently to manage the situation, with police implementing traffic regulations and staggering vehicle movement, particularly in light of the limited parking facilities available atop the sacred hill town of Tirumala.