Tickets often sell out quickly when cricket matches are planned and new superstar films are released. However, this is the first time a similar pattern has been seen with Rs 1,000 tickets for “Chandanotsavam.”

Since the tickets for ordinary devotees to observe “Nijarupa darshan” on “Chandanotsavam” are unavailable four days before the festival, they seem to be a pipe dream.

Every year on “Vaisakha Suddha Tadiya,” which is celebrated as “Chandanotsavam,” devotees from all across the nation go to Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Devasthanam to see the “real Avatar” of the ruling deity.

On April 24, ticket sales for the “Nijarupa” darshan began in two separate price ranges: Rs 300 and Rs 1,000. Tickets were offered for sale at five different banks in Visakhapatnam in addition to the PR counter at Simhachalam hilltop. However, within 24 hours of the sale starting, the Rs 1,000 tickets were no longer available.

In the past, tickets costing Rs 1,000 were offered to devotees who came to the temple on the day of Chandanotsavam. However, four days before the event, tickets were not available, even at the Simhachalam counter.

Devotees may now purchase free darshan and Rs 300 tickets, with the exception of Rs 1,000 tickets. Trekking three and a half kilometers is required of those who attend these two waiting lines in order to observe “Nijarupa” darshan. They would need to devote at least four to six hours to this. Common devotees have been rushing between the banks and Simhachalam offices to get tickets, expressing their frustration over the inaccessibility of Rs 1,000 tickets. We went to the Simhachalam booth on Saturday to purchase a Rs 1,000 ticket. But by then, according to the workers, it was worn out. We were surprised by the reaction since it is very hard to wait in the free darshan waiting line for so long,” says G Vijay Kumar, a private company employee.

It seems that Devasthanam authorities have not released any information on the Chandanotsavam ticket sale details since it started.

N Mahesh, a devotee, voiced his worries, saying that the administration had said that Nirarupa darshan would be easier for regular devotees to get. However, he notes that in practice, it stands in stark contrast to the statement. “Political figures are accused of having their Rs 1,000 tickets withheld. And it’s just unfair,” he complains.

There are claims that tickets worth Rs 1,000 are being denied and redirected to accommodate political pressure, despite limits on VIPs and protocol tickets.