116-year-old Karnataka woman treks 3,500 steps to Tirumala temple

On Sunday evening, Smt Navaneethamma, a 116-year-old devotee from Karnataka, successfully completed a trek up the 3,500-plus steps of the Alipiri footpath to reach the temple of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh. Her remarkable journey has drawn praise from both government leadership and temple administrators.

Navaneethamma undertook the challenging walk on foot to reach the abode of Sri Venkateswara Swamy, arriving at the destination on Sunday evening. She was accompanied by her family members, who supported her lifelong faith throughout the journey.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu praised the supercentenarian on social media, stating that she proved faith is above age and inspired the hearts of millions with her determined devotion. He noted that age is truly just a number when it comes to pure devotion, expressing that he was absolutely awestruck by the 116-year-old grandmother trekking all the way up to Tirumala on foot to have the divine darshan of Lord Venkateswara Swamy.

Following her trek, officials from the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) took steps to facilitate her visit. On Monday morning, under the instructions of TTD Trust Board Chairman BR Naidu, temple officials identified the family of the elderly woman. They fulfilled her lifetime wish for a darshan of the presiding deity, Lord Sri Venkateswara, by guiding her through the biometric passage with care and familial warmth.

After completing the darshan, Navaneethamma and her family members received blessings from Vedic scholars at the Ranganayakula Mandapam. TTD Executive Officer Muddada Ravichandra also presented her with a Pattu Vastram and the sacred Tirtha Prasadams of Srivaru.

Her grandson, Dikpathi, thanked the TTD Chairman and the Executive Officer for providing the darshan of Sri Venkateswara Swamy and expressed his gratitude to everyone for their support.