In an effort to streamline darshan in large temples across the State, the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) Department has begun work to tweak its website for providing online tickets for devotees.

Minister for HR & CE, S. Ramesh, told The Hindu that a survey is under way to get the average number of devotees visiting a few temples on each day and during any particular time like Pradosham.

“We are trying to make things easier for all the devotees, including those from outstation, senior citizens, pregnant women, mothers with toddlers, and persons with disabilities. People who cannot wait in queues due to special circumstances, will be allowed direct darshan. When slots are fixed for darshan, there will be no need for brokers to provide services. It is also important for the safety of devotees. We are looking at the Tirupati Temple as a model. Tickets will also be available at the temple,” Mr. Ramesh said.

He said that free darshan that is opted by a large number of devotees will not be affected in any manner due to this online ticket system.

“In fact, we are also factoring in local residents who visit these temples regularly. They will be able to visit without any disturbance,” he said.

The trial for the online system is expected to be conducted in 15 days to a month. The implementation will be taken up in three phases. This will also help in accounting the beneficiaries of the annadhanam scheme, he added.