TIRUPATI: The TTD recently laid the foundation for a temple of Goddess Padmavathi Devi on the land donated by yesteryear actress Kanchana at GN Chetty Road in Chennai. Kanchana and her sister Girija gifted a piece of land measuring over six grounds (34 cents) at GN Chetty Road to the TTD in September 2010, for building a grand temple in the heart of Chennai. After almost a decade, the Bhoomi puja for the temple was performed on February 13 by Kanchi seer Vijayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya.
TTD Trust Board chairman YV Subba Reddy, during the stone-laying ceremony, said the cost of constructing Sri Padmavathi temple would be around Rs 6.85 crore, of which TTD would be bearing Rs 5.85 crore and the TTD local advisory committee president Sekhar Reddy would contribute the remaining Rs 1 crore.
The TTD is planning to construct the temple in three ground land and a mandapam and madapalli (kitchen to prepare food for the Goddess) and a godown to keep vahanams of the presiding deity will be built in the remaining land. The cost of the land is estimated to be around Rs 40 crore now. The TTD is also planning to construct Sri Venkateswara temple in Chennai for which the TN government had already given consent to allot 15 acres of land.
Annual float festival offers visual treat to devotees
On the second day of annual float festival, Teppotsavam, processional deity of Lord Govindaraja Swamy was taken in a procession on the dazzling flotilla around the pushkarini at Sri Govindaraja Swamy temple here on Sunday evening. The array of lights offered a visual delight to the devotees who thronged to witness the fete in large numbers. The religious atmosphere was further supplemented by bhajans, harikathas and music programmes by artistes of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Hindu Dharma Prachara Parishad and Annamacharya Project.