Heavy traffic jams were witnessed on the way to the Chilkur Balaji Temple on the outskirts of Hyderabad today.
A large number of devotees thronged the temple in the wake of widespread publicity over the distribution of Garuda prasadam.
There was a traffic jam for over 10 km on the route. Traffic from Masab Tank to the temple via Mehdipatnam, Nanal Nagar, Langar House, Suncity and Appa Junction came to a standstill.
The Outer Ring Service Road in Gachibowli was also flooded with vehicles.
It is estimated that around one lakh people travelling in vehicles on the route were impacted. Employees going to offices, students going to schools and colleges faced difficulties.
The police stepped in and tried to defuse the situation and ease the jam.
The temple's chief priest Rangarajan had recently announced that Garuda prasadam would be offered to the childless as part of the Chilukuru Balaji Brahmotsavams. The matter went viral on the social media, and devotees from Hyderabad and other parts of the country started reaching the place from 5 am on Friday leading to heavy traffic jams as cars and other vehicles entered the route in large numbers.
More than 60,000 devotees visited the temple from early morning till 10:30 am, Moinabad CI Pawan Kumar Reddy said.
He added that the Garuda prasadam at the temple was given some time in the morning, but later stopped.