Google Vice President Chandrasekhar donates ₹1 crore to Tirupati temple's SV Pranadana Trust

Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh), Jun 26 (PTI) Google Vice President Thota Chandrasekhar donated ₹1 crore to the SV Pranadana Trust of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) on Thursday, the temple authorities said. 

The cheque was handed over to TTD Chairman B R Naidu by Chandrashekhar in Tirumala.

"Google Vice President Chandrasekhar donated ₹1 crore to the SV Pranadana Trust of TTD on Thursday," said a release from the temple body.

TTD officials appreciated the donor's gesture during the meeting held at the Chairman's office in the temple town.

TTD is the official custodian of Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati, the richest Hindu shrine in the world. 

Tirupati Temple Kiosk

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has introduced self-service kiosks at laddu counters to ease the laddu payment process, the temple sources said.

The Pilgrims visiting the iconic temple can now conveniently pay for additional laddus through UPI at these machines, which are installed across various laddu counters in Tirumala, said a TTD release.

“After successful payment, pilgrims receive a receipt which can be used to collect additional laddus at the counter without waiting in long queues,” said the release issued on Monday night. 

TTD has been implementing several digital initiatives to improve crowd flow and offer efficient, hassle-free services to pilgrims arriving at the hill shrine in large numbers.

This new kiosk facility is part of TTD's broader effort to adopt technology and enhance devotee satisfaction at every touchpoint of their Tirumala visit, it said.

TTD officials said more kiosks would be installed in a phased manner after evaluating the response, and staff have been deployed to assist senior citizens and first-timers.

According to the press release, the temple body is also considering extending similar digital facilities to other service points, including accommodation and prasadam counters, in the coming months, the release added.