TTD strictly follows the ‘no puja by priests who travel abroad’ principle, says Tirumala temple chief priest

Tirupati: The Andhra Pradesh high court's recent order, barring priests who have travelled abroad from performing puja within the sanctum sanctorum of temples, has already been under strict implementation at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams for several decades.According to Tirumala temple chief priest AV Venugopala Deekshitulu, the four hereditary families performing priesthood at the Tirumala temple from several centuries, strictly adhere to the guidelines of ensuring that no priest who goes abroad shall be permitted to perform puja inside the sanctum sanctorum."Descendants of Gopinathcharyulu and the four families ordained to perform priesthood at the Tirumala temple — the Paidipally family, Gollapalli family, Peddinti family, and Tirupatamma family, who adhere to the Vaikhanasa Agama tradition of worship at the Tirumala temple and the Govindaraja Swamy temple in Tirupati — have been strictly following this tradition of ensuring a ban on priesthood on anyone who goes abroad," he told TOI.Deekshitulu firther clarified that for the Srinivasa Kalyanam and other spiritual programmes which the TTD organises across the globe, a set of Vedic scholars from the Veda Pathashala at Dharmagiri and private priests on contract are hired. "The regular priests who perform puja inside the Tirumala temple and other TTD temples adhering to the Vaikhanasa Agama tradition of worship are not allotted duties at religious events held under the aegis of the TTD abroad," he added.The AP court high, in a recent order, ruled that priests who have travelled abroad should not be permitted to perform puja or worship the deity within the temple's sanctum sanctorum, as such travel is considered contrary to established spiritual discipline and dietary rules. They may still participate in rituals, but only those conducted outside the temple premises, the HC said. The restriction stems from ancient religious codes that discouraged crossing the seas, which, it was believed, compromised the ritual purity required to serve a deity.
Get real-time updates and result insights on AP Inter 1st, 2nd Year Result 2026 and CBSE 2026 Results.