TIRUMALA: Tiurmala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman YV Subba Reddy on Thursday reopened the renovated Srivari Mettu footpath after performing rituals. Subba Reddy said the sudden downpour on November 16, 17 and 18 last year led to massive landslides, which damaged the footpath.
The TTD Board chief cited ‘puranas’ and said Sri Venkateswara Swamy himself used the ancient route to reach Tirumala. “The inscriptions of the Srivari temple also reveal that this footpath was developed by the kings of the Vijayanagara Empire and emperor Sri Krishna Devaraya had regularly used the path,” he observed.
He complimented the TTD engineers for completing the repair works at a cost of `3.60 crore and ahead of the schedule. “Though it was a difficult task to carry the materials required for restoration works to the damaged site, our engineering officials did an excellent job,” he added.