Flight spotted over Tirupati's Tirumala Temple sparks outrage, TTD urges centre declare it as 'No-fly zone'

A low-altitude flight of an aircraft over the Lord Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala has sparked outrage among the devotees in Andhra Pradesh, as they voiced their concerns over the violation of the temple’s sanctity, reported News18.

According to the report, which quoted Agama Shastra, any kind of aircraft, helicopters, drones, and other aerial vehicles are strictly prohibited from flying over the sanctum sanctorum of the Lord Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirumala.

Meanwhile, videos of an aircraft flying over the Tirumala temple went viral on social media. It sparked a debate over the Centre’s inaction in declaring the area a no-fly zone.

A temple official stated that these overflights violate religious traditions and pose serious security concerns for the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Vigilance and Security Wing.

TTD writes to Aviation Ministry:

Earlier in March this year, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairman BR Naidu wrote to Union Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu and requested him to declare Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh as a no-fly zone.

It is to be known that Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu also serves as an MP from Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam constituency.

To this, Ram Mohan Naidu said, as India Today quoted, “We are trying to talk with the Navigation and Air Traffic Control so that flights can take some alternate paths.”

"There have been a lot of requests from religious sites and important sites (for a no-fly zone), so we are trying to see what can be done best," he added. 

BR Naidu in his letter wrote that the Tirumala shrine should be accorded no-fly zone status in accordance with Agama Shastra.

“The Tirumala temple holds immense spiritual value for millions of devotees who visit the shrine every year. According to traditional Agama regulations, the sanctity of the temple is paramount, and any disturbance in its vicinity, including aerial movements, is believed to adversely affect the spiritual environment," News18 quoted the TTD Chairman as writing in his letter to the Union Minister.

BR Naidu also requested the Union Minister to take swift action to safeguard the sanctity of the Tirumala shrine.