HYDERABAD: Tirumala remained out of bounds for thousands of pilgrims as floods and landslides triggered by continuous rains forced authorities to keep an arterial road leading to the temple closed. The weekend rush to one of the country's most famous hilltop shrine shrunk by half to just 50,000 on Sunday and authorities said there were at least 30,000 fewer pilgrims waiting for darshan on Monday. Rains continued to pound the temple town and the shrine above for the last 10 days, forcing people to stay indoors. "It took just three hours for the general darshan to be completed on Monday. And those who trek to the shrine said they could do it in two hours as there were very few people en route," said an official with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD). Social media was abuzz with rumours of the Tirumala temple flooded and shut for the first time in history, forcing many people to cancel their trips. "I met people who said the temple was flooded and locked. They even shared pictures with me of a flooded temple compound and the main shrine. I immediately alerted others," said Suneet Sen, a resident of Domalguda in Hyderabad.