The Venkateswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirumala will be closed from 6 pm on August 9 to 6 am on August 17 for a cleansing ritual, NDTV reported. Though the ritual is performed every 12 years, this is reportedly the first time that the temple will be closed to the public.

The decision was taken after the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Trust Board held an emergency meeting on Saturday.

TTD Board Chairman Putta Sudhakar Yadav said the ritual was last held in 2006. “The last time ‘maha samprokshana’ was held, only 20,000-30,000 devotees visited the temple. So, it was possible to allow a limited number of them,” ANI quoted Sudhakar as saying. “But now over one lakh devotees visit the temple on a daily basis. Even if limited darshan is allowed, most of the devotees will have to wait in queues.”

“As importance will be placed on Vedic rituals in the temple, the time for providing darshan to pilgrims will be minimal,” Yadav added, according to The New Indian Express. “Keeping this in view, we have decided to dispense with darshan to avoid hardship to the pilgrims.”

The temple receives over 5.5 lakh pilgrims during the second week of August, Sudhakar said. “If darshans are allowed on [August 9 and 10], there will be a heavy rush on the Tirumala hill.”

TTD spokesperson Thalari Ravi said pilgrims will not be allowed to climb up the hills from August 9, according to the Hindustan Times. “It will take one full day to clear the rush in the queue complexes,” Ravi said. “So by August 10 night, entire Tirumala will be cleared of pilgrims.”