A day after a tragic stampede at the Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Andhra Pradesh claimed at least 10 lives, including that of a child, the temple’s founder, 95-year-old Harimukund Panda, described the incident as an “act of God.” Panda, a member of a royal family from Odisha, said he never anticipated such a massive influx of devotees, noting that the temple, which he built four years ago at a cost of ₹10 crore, had never experienced crowds of this magnitude before.

Speaking to the media, Panda expressed shock at the sudden surge of people on the occasion of Ekadashi. He described a typical day at the temple, when 3,000 to 4,000 devotees visit and leave in an orderly manner, receiving darshan and prasadam without incident. “Every day, devotees come. They have darshan and leave. I thought it would be the same today. Suddenly, a huge crowd came. They pushed the gates and left. Police didn’t tell them, no one told them. People came all at once,” he said.

According to preliminary reports, the stampede occurred when a crowd surge at around 11:30 a.m. led to the closure of the entry point. Many devotees tried to use the exit route, creating suffocation and panic. A cascading effect reportedly began when someone at the top of the steps tripped and fell. Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh highlighted that the temple’s queue management was unprepared for the unexpected surge, contributing to the tragic outcome.

Minister Lokesh confirmed that most of those who died were women and praised the quick coordination between local authorities, including the disaster management minister and home department officials, which helped save several lives. The state government has registered a case, and an investigation is ongoing.

Harimukund Panda said he was inspired to build the temple on 12 acres of his 50-acre property after visiting Tirumala Srivari, where he had a negative experience due to overcrowding. He intended his temple to provide devotees with a serene and orderly environment for worship. However, he admitted that this unforeseen crowd surge was beyond anyone’s control, reiterating that the tragedy was an “act of God.”

The stampede underscores challenges in crowd management at religious sites, particularly during festivals and special occasions. While the temple has entry and exit gates, the sheer number of devotees that day overwhelmed the system, resulting in chaos and the unfortunate loss of lives. Authorities and temple management have indicated that measures will be reviewed to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Panda’s comments and the ministerial statements highlight the complex interplay between devotion, human behavior, and safety logistics in large gatherings. The incident has sparked debates on whether stricter crowd control measures, real-time monitoring, or government oversight should be implemented at privately managed religious sites to prevent such tragedies from recurring.

In summary, while the cause of the stampede is being investigated, the temple founder described the tragedy as an unforeseen natural event, or “act of God,” and stressed that he could not have predicted the enormous crowd that gathered at the Venkateswara Swamy Temple on Ekadashi.