UP’s Kashi Vishwanath, Gujarat’s Somnath temple study Tirumala model to modernise temple management

Delegations from the two temples have studied TTD’s crowd-control systems, mega-kitchen and donation management as they seek to improve pilgrim experience.

A devotee lifts his hands in prayer while standing in the outer courtyard of the Tirumala Tirupathi temple, in May 2020 | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

Hyderabad: The Kashi Vishwanath temple and Gujarat’s Somnath temple are looking to replicate the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam’s (TTD) model of integrated temple governance as they seek to improve crowd management and logistics, sources in the temple administration told ThePrint. 

Senior delegations from both temples have visited the temple in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati district to learn about Tirumala’s AI-driven crowd management, mega-kitchen technology that feeds lakhs of devotees every day, and the counting chamber’s financial management.

Since the new Kashi Vishwanath Dham holds great importance as it is located in the prime minister’s constituency, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath himself attended a detailed presentation on 7 September, TTD board member Bhanu Prakash Reddy told ThePrint. 

“Our chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu himself explained the Integrated Command and Control Centre’s (ICCC) role as the digital nervous system of the TTD to the UP chief minister. Yogiji was shown how the integrated dashboards and the systematic administrative model helped in revolutionising the temple management after the prasadam issue,” said Reddy.

With preliminary visits from both temples already completed, the teams have been asked to visit Tirumala after the annual Brahmotsavams (annual temple festivals) and Navaratri, Reddy said. 

The Andhra Pradesh government, led by Telugu Desam Party leader Chandrababu Naidu, introduced various reforms to overhaul the shrine’s operations after allegations of using adulterated ghee in the preparation of laddu prasadam surfaced in September 2024. 

The TTD created a central control room within the temple premises where data feeds from thousands of CCTV cameras installed across the temple town are analysed. 

Crowd management model

It is this model that senior administrative officers from the Kashi Vishwanath temple and Gujarat’s Somnath temple have been studying.

P.K. Laheri, former Gujarat chief secretary, who is also the secretary and trustee of the Somnath temple, confirmed to ThePrint that they are studying the TTD model. 

“Given that the Somnath Temple Trust observed the Somnath Swabhiman Parv in January to honour 1,000 years of the temple’s survival and spiritual legacy, we made a thorough study of TTD’s crowd management and have already begun implementing it. We were keen to understand how to handle large crowds – those flocking to the temple in crores – to avoid stampede-like situations and adjust queue-management speeds,” he said. 

TTD functionaries and the Karya Foundation, the company that created the Integrated Command and Control Centre at the Tirumala temple, said that a sensor-embedded entry system helps manage crowds before a crisis occur through better coordination with security services.

Backed by US-based businessman and philanthropist Jayaprasad Vejendla, the Karya Foundation partnered with Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams to donate, create, and implement the ICCCT.

Vishal Rao, the India Lead for Karya Foundation, said that his associates and senior TTD administration members had been invited to Kashi to study the town’s logistics and geography. 

“Unlike Tirumala, which is a secure town atop a hill, Kashi is a bustling town with commercial and residential activity around the temple. Also, with the Vishwanath temple having multiple entry and exit points unlike Tirumala, the challenges are different,” Vishal told ThePrint. 

“In addition, with devotees to the mosque and temple congregating at one gate initially, we will need to plan for better crowd management by forecasting bottlenecks suited to Kashi,” he added.

Beyond crowd management, other aspects of temple management such as handling the hundi, or donation chest, were also presented to the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, sources in TTD said. 

“The idea is to ensure there is no administrative ad-hocism and that bureaucrats and temple administrators have foolproof operational efficiency of all systems. With Tirupati settling the gold standard in modernising India’s spiritual hubs, this model makes every facet of the pilgrim journey seamless as well,” Vishal added.

(Edited by Sugita Katyal)