TIRUPATI: The Lord Venkateswara temple in Jammu was thrown open for devotees after the Maha Samprokshanam was conducted on Thursday. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has constructed the Balaji temple with Rs 30 crore in a sprawling 62 acres land donated by the Jammu and Kashmir government in Majin village on the banks of Suryaputri river.
Maha Samprokshanam was conducted in the Mithuna Lagnam between 7.30 am and 8.15 am. Later, Kalavahanam was also performed to invoke power in the idols of the deities, including Mula Virat, Padmavathi Devi, Goda Devi, Garudalwar, Jaya-Vijaya. The devotees were allowed to offer prayers at the temple from 10am onwards. A number of devotees from Jammu and surrounding places thronged the temple to have darshan of Lord Balaji.
After inaugurating the temple, Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha expressed, “Sri Venkateswara, the Virat Swarup of the Hindu Sanatana Dharma, has travelled all the way from Seshachala Ranges to reach Jammu today to bless the people here.”
He pointed out, “With the establishment of Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Jammu, the people of the Union Territory will now have the blessings of Lord Balaji along with Mata Vaishno Devi, Amarnath and Sarada Devi. Further, Sinha said he was confident that the region would soon become a hub fore religious tourism circuit. “I am also happy to announce that a Veda Pathashala will be coming up soon at the temple,” he added.
“The TTD is also constructing temples in the colonies of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Backward Classes (BCs) and fishermen. Recently, we opened temples in tribal and backward areas of Seetampeta and Rampachodavaram,”TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy said. He also announced that an exclusive temple dedicated to Goddess Sri Padmavathi Devi will be constructed in Chennai, the first of its kind in the country.