A 45-second Telugu short sent a free ticket-booking plugin to 9,000 computers
What it is A free Chrome extension that stores the family's pilgrim details locally and fills the TTD official booking form in one click when tickets drop.
Why it took off Two days before the 9-24 release, the developer posted a Telugu tutorial Reel that got 1.11M views and DMs asking for "GOVINDA" to get the link. When TTD blocked autofill in October, he posted "we fixed it" the next day and picked up another 188k views.
CHow you could follow it Don't build another TTD plugin. Pick a timed-purchase scenario you know well, use a local-language content account to post tutorials before the drop, use comment keywords to game the algorithm, and require follows to unlock the activation code, turning users into fans who funnel to your main product.
9,000 users · rating 4.0 (5)
Tirumala Darshan Assistant is a Chrome extension for the official booking site of the Tirumala Temple (TTD) in India. It stores the family's pilgrim details locally and fills the form in one click when tickets drop. There are at least 25 similar extensions, it does about the same as the others, and it charges nothing. It ranks third because of two videos the developer posted on Instagram: one two days before the drop, one after the official block.
Sep 22, 6:42 PM
On the evening of Sep 22, 2026 (India time), Sandeep Naredla from Telangana posted a 45-second Reel to his Instagram account @anything_with_sandy. The caption opens in Telugu: "₹300 darshan tickets open at 24 o'clock, gone in seconds!" Below it is a five-step tutorial: install "Tirumala Darshan Assistant" from the Chrome store, save family details once, click the extension icon on the TTD page when tickets drop, hit Autofill, then check it yourself, type the captcha yourself, and pay. A line in English in the middle: "This is free extension. Dont pay anything". It ends with "గోవిందా గోవిందా 🙏" (Govinda Govinda, the devotee's call to God) and "👉 DM చేయండి: GOVINDA": DM the word GOVINDA for details.
By Nov 6, the video had 1.11M views, 17,018 likes, and 2,552 comments (Instagram, 11-06). The account usually posts Telugu myths, explainers, and small AI tools that get a few hundred to a thousand or two views, with 4,732 followers. This one is nearly three orders of magnitude above normal.
The day before, on Sep 21, he had already tested one: Arjitha Seva (a paid temple offering ritual) tickets that "sold out in minutes," "I tested it live, got one in seconds," telling people to "follow + comment GOVINDA, and I'll DM you." 64K views, 1,824 comments, twice as many as likes (818).
What it is
| Metric | Sources | |
|---|---|---|
| users | Early November 9,000, these past few days dropped to 8,000 | Chrome Web Store |
| Rating | 4.0 score, only 5 ratings | Chrome Web Store |
| Launched | 2026-07-27, last updated 10-20 (v1.4.2) | Chrome Web Store |
| Pricing | Free, no in-app purchases | Chrome Web Store |
The product has the standard feature set for this category: store multiple pilgrims' names, ages, genders, and ID numbers; one-click form fill with automatic age calculation; reminders 30, 15, and 5 minutes before tickets drop; ID numbers encrypted and stored locally. The store description is careful about what it promises: "You still have to verify each field yourself, enter the captcha yourself, and submit yourself", and "offered free as Swami seva (service to the deity)".
The store has only three reviews with text: 9-23 one says "Time Waste", 10-14 one says "GREAT IDEA", and 10-18 one user writes "Good for copy-paste under the new rules, please add a country field, and the Gothram (family lineage) field needed for Arjitha Seva bookings".
Why people need it: grabbing a ticket in seconds
TTD's ₹300 Special Entry Darshan and various Seva tickets go online on a fixed schedule each month, e.g. Oct 7 at 10 a.m. for the Oct 12–20 dates (TTD official news site, 10-06). Since 2026 these tickets can only be booked online, with time-slot entry. One ticket requires filling in several people's details, and people typing by hand often run out of tickets before they finish.
Demand concentrates among Telugu-speaking families in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, who go for these tickets again and again through the year, where a few minutes decides everything. This is exactly the kind of demand plugins like best: rigid, timed, and decided by speed.
Where users come from
- Its own Instagram, timed to the ticket drop. 9-22 was the main driver. It went up two days before the 9-24 drop, when need was highest. Telugu as the native language, "Govinda Govinda", and "free, don't pay", set beside a pile of paid competitors, made it easy to believe and easy to forward to family groups.
- Comment/DM keywords. All three hit posts asked people to comment or DM "GOVINDA", and comment counts were unusually high, which the algorithm then keeps pushing. I didn't find which tool handled the automated DM replies; it looks like something in the ManyChat class (inference).
- The day the official block landed, they posted "we fixed it". On Oct 13, @ttd_updates on X posted that TTD's site had begun blocking autofill plugins, 143k views. At 8 the next morning, the creator posted: "TTD BLOCKED IT. WE FIXED IT. AND IT'S WORKING AGAIN!", claiming "as far as we can confirm, we're the only plugin still working", and asking people to comment Govinda for the full video tutorial. That post got 188k plays and 5,177 comments, twice its like count. The product side of this is Click & Paste: an orange button next to each field, click to copy, then Ctrl+V yourself, which sidesteps the definition of "autofill".
- Installing the plugin requires following first. The store description now says new installs must follow @anything_with_sandy and send a DM to get a free activation code before they can use it; existing users are exempt. Plugin users have become Instagram followers and a DM list this way. I don't know when this was added; it's likely after October (inference). Recent users dropped from 9,000 to 8,000, possibly because some uninstalled after the block, or because the activation code deterred new installs. Neither is verified.
I saw no paid acquisition, no press coverage, and no one on X talking about it. Outside the Telugu Instagram circle, almost nobody knows it exists.
Where the money comes from
The plugin itself charges nothing. Sandeep's main business is aisandy.tech ("AI with Sandy", run by Rudraayaan AI Technologies in Telangana), selling AI courses and taking outsourced projects; his Instagram bio reads "AI Product & Startup Strategist". The plugin is a tool for growing his account and building a DM list. His recent posts already promote other things: 11-01 a children's app pitched with "comment for the app link", and 11-05 a post saying "first app passed Apple review".
Who it's competing with
| Competitors | Launched | Scale | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| TTD Pilgrims Manager(ravi) | 2025-12-14 | 30K users, 3.3 stars / 30 reviews | Charges a subscription; has an "Autofill → Continue → Pay Now" flow straight to payment, more aggressive |
| TTD Autofill Assistant(FireflyAI) | 2025-12-27 | 10K users, 4.2 stars / 34 reviews | Premium in-app purchase, now at version 7.0 |
| Tirumala Info Booking Helper | 2026-07-21 | 6,000 users, rating 4.8 / 50 | Also free, also funnels traffic from a Telugu info account; closest to this one's playbook |
| TTD Darshan Autofill: Quick Paste | 2026-08-28 | 911 users | Sells 7-day, 30-day, 90-day, and 1-year passes, and also has a semi-automatic paste feature |
| TTD Form Helper, TTD QuickFill, and about 20 more | 2026-04 to 10 | Most have a few dozen to 2,000 users | Similar features, no traffic of their own |
| TTD's official app (built with Jio) | 2023-01 | Official | Can book tickets; no one-click fill for multiple pilgrims (per the store description) |
The top two have been around for over six months and both charge money. Between August and October more than twenty new ones appeared; one was pushed on YouTube (one video at 5,797 views) and didn't take off. The difference isn't features; it's who holds a local-language account that believers want to watch.
If it were you
C: copy its playbook, don't build another TTD plugin.
One-line take: this runs on "a local-language content account + the ticket-drop timing"; the plugin is just the container that catches the traffic. TTD already has 25 similar tools, the official site is blocking them, users don't pay, and a twenty-sixth entrant has no room.
Who it suits: people who already run a local-language content account (even a few thousand followers) whose main business needs followers and a DM list; or people who know one "timed grab" scenario well: Tatkal train tickets, visa appointments, concerts, popular exam registrations.
Who it doesn't suit: people with no channel of their own who expect organic search in the Chrome Web Store; people who want the plugin itself to make money (even the top paid one has only 30k users, and the site could block it at any time); people unsure about data-compliance for "filling in users' ID numbers".
How to do it: pick a timed-grab scenario you know well. The plugin only stores details locally, fills on one click, and leaves captchas and payment to the user. Say it plainly in the copy: "no payment handling, no guarantee of a ticket, data stays on your computer". Prepare a semi-automatic paste fallback so you can switch the moment the site blocks you.
How to get users: one to two days before each grab, post a short tutorial video in the local language, ending with a comment/DM keyword. When the site changes its rules, post "fixed" the same day. Make installs require following the account for an activation code, turning one-time users into followers, then move them to what you actually sell.
When to start: follow the ticket calendar for the specific scenario and list one week before the next big drop (festival, holiday season), with the video going up two days before.
What would show you misread it: TTD switches to a queue or lottery, which kills the whole category; Google removes plugins like this over "auto-filling ID documents"; or you follow the playbook, the tutorial hits a hundred thousand views, and store users don't follow, meaning the spike came from that one timing and that one account, which can't be copied.
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Sources: Chrome Web Store listing and reviews (11-01 through early November); Instagram @anything_with_sandy posts and Reels (plays, likes, and comments as of 11-06); X post by @ttd_updates 2026-10-13; TTD official news site 2026-10-06 ticket announcements; ttddarshanautofill.com terms page; aisandy.tech. Anything marked "inference" or "not verified" is exactly that.
Research notes: competitor table, acquisition evidence, full research report
- Competitors
Name Where Launched Scale How it differs from this one TTD Pilgrims Manager(ravi) Chrome 2025-12-14 30k users, 30 rating Paid subscription with a one-click Autofill→Continue→Pay Now flow; this product is free and never handles payment TTD Autofill Assistant(FireflyAI Softwares) Chrome 2025-12-27 10k users, 34 rating Premium in-app purchase; this product is entirely free, relying on creator content distribution Tirumala Info Booking Helper(telugunewsblog) Chrome 2026-07-21 6,000 users, rated 50 4.8 Also free, with Telugu content driving installs and more ratings; this product relies on one Reel with a million views and a quick fix after the block TTD Darshan Autofill: Quick Paste(ttddarshanautofill.com) Chrome 2026-08-28 911 users Sells 7/30/90-day and 1-year passes; this product is free TTD Form Helper / TTD QuickFill and 20 more Chrome 2026-04 to 2026-10 Most have a few dozen to 2,000 users Similar features, no built-in distribution channel TTD Booking Assistant(Geddala Revanth) Other Not verified Not verified Similar tools on the Edge store TTDevasthanams official app (TTD × Jio) Big-company features 2023-01 Official Official booking, but no one-click fill for multiple pilgrims (not checked item by item) - Where users come from
- Confirmed Own Instagram Reel (Telugu): @anything_with_sandy 2026-09-22 Reel Ddl0JmePZ-L, 1.11M plays, 17,018 likes, 2,552 comments; the caption tells people to install the extension from the Chrome Web Store; 09-21 Reel with 64k plays
- Confirmed Comment/DM keyword engagement bait: captions read "DM చేయండి: GOVINDA" and "FOLLOW + comment GOVINDA"; 10-13 post has 5,177 comments, 2 times its likes
- Confirmed Content built on a platform event (TTD blocks autofill): 10-13 @ttd_updates announced the block (143k views); the same day a post read "TTD BLOCKED IT. WE FIXED IT", 188k plays
- Confirmed Activation code in exchange for follows: store description: new installs must follow @anything_with_sandy and DM to get a free access code
- Inference Chrome Web Store search: the Reel tells users to search the store by name; the name includes "Tirumala Darshan"
- Inference Paid acquisition / press / X / Reddit: no evidence found; x-radar shows 90 days, 0 posts
Why Tirumala Darshan Assistant (a Chrome extension) took off
- Store page: chromewebstore.google.com/detail/tirumala-darshan-assistan/o…
- Developer: sandeep (Sandeep Naredla), website aisandy.tech ("AI with Sandy", operated by Rudraayaan AI Technologies Private Limited, Telangana); developer email domain card9.in
- Published 2026-07-27, last updated 2026-10-20 (v1.4.2); free, no in-app purchases, no pricing listed on the site for this product
Bottom line
This is an auto-fill tool for the official TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams) booking form, and the product itself is highly commoditized. It got traction thanks to a Telugu-language Instagram Reel the creator posted: 2026-09-22 posted it just before the ₹300 special entry ticket release 9-24, reaching 1.11M views and 2,552 comments, using the prompt "comment/DM GOVINDA to get the link." After 10-13 TTD blocked the auto-fill extension, he posted that day "TTD blocked it, we fixed it," and this one got 188K views and 5,177 comments, which kept users around. The extension itself doesn't charge; what he wants is Instagram followers and a private audience to drive traffic to his own AI teaching business, aisandy.tech. Later, new installs also had to "follow on Instagram and DM" to get a free activation code, which made the follower swap even more thorough.
1. Data
| Date | Users | Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-27 | Date | Storefront | |
| 2026-11-01 | 9,000 | 5 | chromestore.item_snap (listing page) |
| 2026-11-03 / 11-05 | 9,000 | 5 | item_snap (related cards) |
| 2026-11-07 | 8,000 | 5 | item_snap (listing page) |
- Roughly 100 days to 9,000 users, falling back to 8,000 in the last week. Only 5 ratings, average 4.0. Store reviews include "Time Waste" (9-23), "GREAT IDEA" (10-14), and one saying copy-and-paste works under the new rules, asking for country and Gothram fields (10-18).
- I couldn't get the 90-day curve (no entry in extops), so how it climbed before September is inference only.
- The cause of the drop hasn't been verified. It could be that after the 10-13 TTD block, some users found autofill no longer worked and uninstalled, or that the activation-code gate added later scared off new installs. Both are guesses.
II. Demand: why people need it now
- TTD's ₹300 Special Entry Darshan, Arjitha Seva, and other quotas go online on a fixed schedule each month (e.g. SED tickets for Oct 12–20 dropped at 10-07 10:00, per news.tirumala.org 2026-10-06). They're gone within seconds to minutes, and each ticket requires entering multiple pilgrims' names, ages, genders, and ID numbers, which is too slow to type by hand.
- Since 2026, SED went online-only and entry is strictly by time slot (tirumalatirupatiguide.in 2026-05; templestalk.com 2026-09), so the pressure to snag tickets online is even higher.
- Around 10-13 the TTD website started blocking autofill extensions. @ttd_updates posted "Good news for all devotees TTD website now blocking autofill extensions", 143k views, 2.4K likes (x.com/ttd_updates/status/2109851475090313325). Reddit r/TirumalaDarshan and Facebook groups also had posts saying "TTD has blocked auto-fill extensions".
3. Competitors (chromestore library + web, as of 2026-11-07)
There are at least 25 similar extensions, nearly all launched between 2025-12 and 2026-10. The crowding is obvious:
| Name | Channel | Launched | Scale | How it differs from this app |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTD Pilgrims Manager(ravi) | Chrome | 2025-12-14 | 30k users, 30 rating, 3.3 stars | Has in-app purchases, description pushes a subscription; has a one-click "Run All: Autofill → Continue → Pay Now" flow, more aggressive |
| TTD Autofill Assistant(FireflyAI Softwares) | Chrome | 2025-12-27 | 10k, 34 rating, 4.2 | Marked "Premium", in-app purchases; site ttd-info.vercel.app, version up to 7.0.0 |
| Tirumala Info Booking Helper(telugunewsblog) | Chrome + Firefox | 2026-07-21 | 6,000,50 ratings, 4.8 | Free; also funnels traffic from a Telugu content account (news blog, IG), the approach most like this product |
| TTD Pilgrims Manager(easymytrade.com) | Chrome | 2026-05-23 | 3,000 | Only one version ever published, not maintained |
| TTD Form Helper / TTD QuickFill | Chrome | 2026-08 | Each 2,000 | QuickFill posted a free version on Reddit |
| TTD Darshan Autofill: Quick Paste(ttddarshanautofill.com) | Chrome | 2026-08-28 | 911 | Paid: 7/30/90-day and 1-year passes; also converted to Quick Paste |
| Autofill Assist – TTD Smart Booking Autofill | Chrome | 2026-04-01 | 1,000 | In-app purchases |
| Darshan Autofill(darshan-autofill.vercel.app) | Chrome | 2026-09-23 | 95 | Promoted on a YouTube channel "10 of 10", videos at 5,797 views, didn't take off |
| TTD Booking Assistant(Geddala Revanth) | Edge | Not verified | Not verified | Edge version of similar tools |
| TTDevasthanams official app (TTD × Jio) | Big-company features / iOS / Android | 2023-01 | Official | Official site can book tickets, but has no "fill for multiple pilgrims in one click" feature (per store description, not verified item by item) |
Bottom line: this product ranks third among similar tools for 9,000 users. The top two are both paid and on 2025-12, and they launched more than half a year earlier.
4. Growth levers (evidence)
- Its own Instagram hit Reel (confirmed, main driver). Account @anything_with_sandy (Sandeep Naredla), currently 4,732 followers (TikHub, 2026-11-06).
- 2026-09-21 Reel DdjL3YwP94L: Arjitha Seva tickets were gone within minutes; he says "I tested it and grabbed one in seconds", telling people to "FOLLOW + comment GOVINDA, DM for details". 64k views, 818 likes, 1,824 comments.
- 2026-09-22 Reel Ddl0JmePZ-L: "₹300 tickets, 24 slots open, gone in seconds", a five-step Telugu tutorial (install "Tirumala Darshan Assistant" from the Chrome store), stressing "it's a free extension, don't pay", ending with "DM GOVINDA". 1.11M views, 17,018 likes, 2,552 comments.
- 2026-10-13 post DedT66VvUYR: "TTD BLOCKED IT. WE FIXED IT. AND IT'S WORKING AGAIN!", claiming "ours is currently the only working extension", asking people to comment for the Govinda video. 188k views, 2,465 likes, 5,177 comments. Around the same time another Reel, DecQ_ZYPltY, said "Don't worry… still works".
- The account normally posts Telugu mythology and science shorts plus AI content, getting a few hundred to a thousand or two views. These TTD posts run two to three orders of magnitude higher, so the account itself had little reach; the topic (ticket-booking pain, release timing, religious sentiment "Govinda") is what pushed it.
- "Comment/DM keyword" engagement bait (confirmed): the comment-to-like ratio is unusually high (that 10-13 post has 2 times as many comments as likes), which makes Instagram's algorithm keep pushing it. The mechanism looks like an auto-reply DM tool such as ManyChat (the specific tool is unverified).
- Access code in exchange for a follow (confirmed): the store description says new installs must follow @anything_with_sandy and DM to get a free access code; existing users don't need to. This step turns extension users into IG followers and DM contacts. Launch date not verified, likely after October.
- Store search (inferred): the name includes "Tirumala Darshan", and the Reels tell users to search the name in the store, so store search is the landing point. But there are too many TTD tools, so organic search alone struggles to rank high.
- No paid acquisition, press coverage, or X big-account reposts found (x-radar finds nothing in 90 days), and no Reddit self-promotion found (r/TirumalaDarshan has self-promo posts from others about similar tools, none from this one).
5. Why it works
- Timing the ticket release: the hit Reel went out 9-22, two days before 9-24 ₹300 tickets opened, when demand peaks.
- Telugu-native, religious tone: "Govinda Govinda", "Swami seva", "free, don't pay". Among many paid competitors, this voice builds trust and makes people likely to forward it to family (main users are Telugu families in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana).
- Turning the platform block into content: 10-13 TTD blocked extensions, bad news for every competitor. He posted that same day "we fixed it, the only one that works", turning the crisis into a second wave of traffic. The product counterpart is the Click & Paste semi-automatic option: an orange button next to each field, click to copy, then Ctrl+V.
- Free + local storage + never touches captchas or payments: this compliance pitch eases users' worry about handing family ID numbers to an extension, and lowers the risk of being hit by Google or TTD.
VI. Differentiation
Feature-wise (saved pilgrim profiles, one-click fill, automatic age calculation, reminders 30/15/5 minutes before release, AES-encrypted ID numbers, Click & Paste fallback), it's close to the top competitors. Semi-automatic approaches like Quick Paste are also offered by competitors such as ttddarshanautofill.com. The real differences are two things:
- Free: the top two charge, ttddarshanautofill sells passes from 7 days to 1 year;
- The developer is the distribution channel: short videos in the local language, plus the comment-keyword and follow-for-code private-traffic playbook.
So it grew through distribution, not the product. The product's job was to be "free, working, and fixed promptly after 10-13", catching the users distribution brought in.
7. Where the money comes back
The extension itself makes no money. The developer's main business is aisandy.tech: an AI learning platform with Courses, Pricing, and Refund policy pages, plus "Start a project" outsourcing. The IG bio reads "AI Product & Startup Strategist". The extension is a tool for growing this account's followers and DM list. Recent posts already promote his other apps (10-29 "Comment App to get the link") and his tech explainers.
8. Visibility and copycats
- Revenue isn't public; no press coverage, and nobody on X talks about it. It circulated in Telugu Instagram circles (millions of views), but few people outside that circle know it.
- The space is crowded: 2026-08 through October, over 20 new TTD extensions launched, most before or around the time this Reel blew up. No one clearly copied his playbook, though Tirumala Info Booking Helper (telugunewsblog) also uses a Telugu content account to drive installs.
9. What to borrow
- Build a local-language form-filling tool for scenarios where timed releases and speed decide the outcome (temple tickets, train Tatkal, visa appointments, concerts), post tutorial shorts one to two days before release, and use "comment a keyword to get the link" to push the algorithm.
- When the platform blocks you, post "we fixed it" immediately. That can bring a second wave of traffic.
- A free tool plus an access code in exchange for a follow turns one-off demand into a private audience and funnels traffic to your main business.
10. Uncertainties
- No user curve before September; how many users came before the 9-22 Reel is unknown, and the sources of growth from 7-27 to September are also unknown.
- When the activation-code gate went live, and how much it affected new installs, is unverified. Likewise, the reason 11-07 users dropped from 9,000 to 8,000 is unverified.
- Unclear how long these tools survive if TTD keeps blocking or moves to a virtual queue.
- Not verified whether ManyChat-style auto-DM is used; no matching YouTube content found (YouTube API quota insufficient).
Sources
- chromestore library: item / item_snap / related (2026-11-01 to 11-07)
- Store page and reviews: chromewebstore.google.com/detail/.../obolokkfagmhejpbhcglpbdkonoabfdm/reviews
- Instagram (TikHub instagram/v1 fetch_user_info, fetch_user_posts, fetch_user_reels, 2026-11-06): @anything_with_sandy, Reels Ddl0JmePZ-L, DdjL3YwP94L, DedT66VvUYR, DecQ_ZYPltY
- x.com/ttd_updates/status/2109851475090313325(2026-10-13)
- news.tirumala.org (SED release announcement 2026-10-06), www.ttddarshanautofill.com/terms.html (competitor pass pricing)
- aisandy.tech(AI with Sandy,Rudraayaan AI Technologies Pvt Ltd)
- YouTube 533hIRhWMic (10 of 10 channel, competitor Darshan Autofill, 5,797 views)