VIJAYAWADA: The new temple chariot for the Antarvedi Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple will be ready by February next year, Endowment Minister Velampalle Srinivas Rao said.
The minister, who held a review meeting with Endowment Commissioner Arjun Rao and other officials on Monday, said officials have been asked to prepare the temple chariot by February when the annual Kalyanotsavam of the presiding deity of the temple is performed.
Officials were asked to ensure that the new temple chariot has the same design as the old one without any deviations. “The blueprint for the temple chariot has been prepared after consulting experts. The new chariot will be 41 feet high and have seven stories and six massive wheels. The new chariot and repairs for the Radha shala are estimated to cost Rs 95 lakh. Proposals have been readied by the department,” he said.
The 62-year-old temple chariot was burnt on the intervening night of September 5 and 6, leading to a public outcry. With Opposition parties resorting to protests and criticizing the delay in bringing the culprits to book, the state government entrusted the investigation in the case to the CBI.
Meanwhile, the Endowments department has initiated measures to construct a new temple chariot for the Antarvedi temple and teak from the Bastar forests in Chattisgarh is being procured for this purpose.