TIRUMALA: Here is good news for the devotees of Goddess Padmavathi Ammavaru, (Consort of Lord Venkateswara) whose temple is situated at Tiruchanur, near Tiruapati.
The TTD, which administers the temple, has drawn up a master plan to give a total facelift to the temple and develop it on par with the Lord Venkateswara temple at Tiruamala by initiating several steps, according to TTD sources. The temple administration is all set to go for land acquisition around the temple for the purpose.
TTD joint executive officer (Tirupati) P Bhaskar, who is implementing the master plan -- based on the previous TTD board decisions -- with the approval of TTD executive officer M GopaI, has already held an exclusive meeting with the heads of all the departments concerned and conveyed the decisions to the officials concerned for implementation.
The steps will include the introduction of new ‘sevas’, one of which will be the ‘Sahasra Deepalankara Seva’ (to be conducted at 5 pm daily). For this, the existing ‘Koluvu Mandpam’ at the temple will be renovated after the ‘vahanams’ currently stored there are moved elsewhere.
“Some other sevas will be introduced after consideration of the time available for regular day ‘poojas’. All these will be done with on the advice and with the consent of Agama pundits and the higher authorities”, the sources added.
This apart, a three-lane queue line system as in the Tirumala temple will be introduced soon at Tiruchanur temple too to enable the devotees to have easy ‘darshan’ of Ammavaru.
“On consulting the ‘poojaris’ and officials of the temple, we have been told that we cannot raise the lanes above the chest height of the Goddess. So ramps will be built at a lower height,’’ Bhaskar told Express here on Sunday.
Also in the pipeline are a new office for the Deputy Executive Officer, a new ‘Archaka Bhavan’, a new ‘Asheervachana Bhavan’ and a new ‘Annaprasada mandapam’.
While the works on the three-storeyed building of the Deputy EO’s office have already begun at Tiruchanur, the new ‘Archaka Bhavan’ is set to be built adjacent to the deputy EO office.
The first floor of both buildings will be utilised as ‘Prasada Bhavan’ in which 14 sale counters will be set up. The existing counters inside the temple will be removed giving more space to the pilgrims and other activities.
“A new ‘Annaprasadam’ complex will be built at a cost of ` 5.49 cr, while the other civil works will cost `17. 5 cr. All the works will be completed within nine months and tenders have already been invited”, Bhaskar said.
The present ‘Annaprasadam complex’ at the cellar portion of the ‘Asthana Mandapam’ would be used for conducting cultural programmes and temple activities after the inauguration of the new one, he added.
The TTD also proposed to remove all encroachments near the temple to for free movement of the devotees.