Udupi devotees seek hassle-free Krishna darshan

Udupi: A section of local devotees of Lord Krishna in Udupi has urged the authorities of the Sri Krishna Matha to restore a hassle-free system for regular residents to have darshan of the deity, saying new registration and technology-driven arrangements have turned what was once a simple daily religious practice into a cumbersome exercise.

The issue has particularly upset devotees who visit the temple regularly as part of their daily religious routine. They say that, despite visiting the temple almost every day, they are now required to follow procedures that often involve registration and waiting in queues.

“Darshan of Lord Krishna has been part of our daily life for generations. We would come, offer our prayers and return to our work. Today, a routine visit can involve considerable waiting,” Dr. Shrivathsa Ballal a US-based devotee said.

Another devotee said many regular worshippers sometimes have to spend close to an hour waiting for darshan. “We understand the need to regulate crowds, but the system should also recognise the needs of local devotees. Technology should make the process easier, not create another hurdle,” he said.

Observers have questioned whether the volume of daily visitors is large enough to justify making local devotees go through the same process as tourists and occasional visitors.

The concern, they said, goes beyond queues and registration. It is about preserving a long-established relationship between local residents and the temple.

The devotees have called upon the temple authorities, including the administration under the Sri Krishna Matha, to reconsider the present arrangements and provide local worshippers with a dedicated, convenient mechanism for darshan.

They said better crowd management should ultimately mean better access and a dignified experience for devotees, rather than forcing regular worshippers to spend substantial time in queues for what was once a routine act of faith.