An 116-year-old woman has become the centre of attention online after videos of her walking up to Tirumala for the darshan of Lord Venkateswara went viral. Her remarkable display of faith even drew appreciation from Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.According to reports, Navaneethamma, a resident of Karnataka, climbed part of the Seshachalam hills and covered over 3,000 steps with the support of her family before reaching the hill shrine.A video shared by ANI showed the elderly woman outside the temple after completing her pilgrimage. In the clip, she is seen folding her hands in prayer while temple officials gently assist her. Members of her family, who accompanied her throughout the journey, also appear in the video.Watch the video:#WATCH | Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam officials arranged a special darshan for 116-year-old Navaneethamma after she walked up to Tirumala on foot. pic.twitter.com/HOiLZwKnFJ— ANI (@ANI) July 6, 2026 Chandrababu Naidu ‘awestruck’Another video showing Navaneethamma making her way up the Tirumala footpath with her relatives soon caught the attention of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who praised her determination in a post on X.“Age is truly just a number when it comes to pure devotion! Absolutely awestruck by this 116-year-old grandmother from Karnataka who trekked all the way up to Tirumala on foot to have the divine darshan of Lord Venkateswara Swamy,” he wrote.He added, “Wonderful to see her family supporting her lifelong faith. Truly inspiring!”Age is truly just a number when it comes to pure devotion! Absolutely awestruck by this 116-year-old grandmother from Karnataka who trekked all the way up to Tirumala on foot to have the divine darshan of Lord Venkateswara Swamy. Wonderful to see her family supporting her… pic.twitter.com/Ke70jmKy4v— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) July 5, 2026 What a dedication and devotion: Social mediaThe videos quickly spread across social media, with many users expressing admiration for the elderly woman’s perseverance and devotion.Story continues below this adOne user commented, “She is indeed a blessed person for being healthy (walking 9 km up the hill) when many of us don’t even walk or can’t even walk even 2 km on a plain road.”Another wrote, “Finally a person who deserves it and what a dedication and devotion.” Many also appreciated the role played by her family, who stayed by her side throughout the climb and helped her fulfil her long-held wish of offering prayers at the temple.TTD arranges VIP darshan after viral videoFollowing the viral videos, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairman B R Naidu reportedly instructed officers to locate the elderly devotee. Once they found Navaneethamma and her family, the temple administration arranged assistance and a special VIP darshan for them.Later, B.R. Naidu shared details of the visit on X.Story continues below this ad“Today, we successfully arranged a special VIP break darshan for the 116-year-old elderly devotee Smt. Navaneethamma Garu along with her family members. Thereafter, in the Ranganayakula Mandapam, TTD EO Sri Muddada Ravichandra Garu had Vedic scholars perform Vedic blessings, draped her with silk cloth, and offered sacred prasadam. He also paid obeisance to Navaneethamma Garu and received her blessings,” he wrote.He further shared that Navaneethamma’s grandson, Dikpati, thanked the temple authorities, saying, “We extend our heartfelt thanks to TTD and the TTD Chairman for fulfilling our grandmother’s wish and granting the fortune of darshan of the Lord to all our family members.”B R Naidu also acknowledged those who helped identify the elderly pilgrim after the videos went viral.ఈ రోజు 116 ఏళ్ల వృద్ధ భక్తురాలు శ్రీమతి నవనీతమ్మ గారికి, ఆమె కుటుంబ సభ్యులతో కలిసి శ్రీవారి ప్రత్యేక విఐపీ బ్రేక్ దర్శనం విజయవంతంగా కల్పించాము.అనంతరం రంగనాయకుల మండపంలో టీటీడీ ఈఓ శ్రీ ముద్దాడ రవిచంద్ర గారు వేదపండితులతో వేదాశీర్వచనం చేయించి, పట్టువస్త్రం కప్పి, తీర్థప్రసాదాలు… pic.twitter.com/3Cbu2loCVX— B R Naidu (@BollineniRNaidu) July 6, 2026 “My heartfelt thanks to all my social media friends who extended their support in recognizing Navaneethamma Garu, as well as to the TTD Vigilance officers who responded immediately and recognized her. This occasion of fulfilling the lifelong wish of a devotee has brought immense joy and satisfaction to all of us,” he said.Story continues below this adThe Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati is one of India’s busiest pilgrimage sites, with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams estimating that between 60,000 and 80,000 devotees visit the shrine every day.