How Tirumala, home to one of world's richest temples, manages god's affairs

Given the humungous numbers that pour in every day, managing the affairs of the temple town, which is spread across 27 sq km, is no small feat

It is nearly 2 am and the chants of “Govinda, Govinda” have reached a crescendo. Any minute now, the 50-ft-high golden entrance doors of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple will be thrown open — barely two hours after they closed for the day.

And over the next 22 hours, 80,000 to 100,000 devotees will walk through them to pay obeisance to Tirumala’s presiding deity, Venkateswara (also referred to as Balaji, Srinivasa and Malayappa).

It is just another day at Tirumala, home to one of the world’s richest temples. The shrine, located in the Tirumala hill town 2,500 ft above sea level