Chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy inaugurated several projects here on Tuesday evening aiming to create additional facilities for devotees visiting the hill shrine.
He was accorded a warm welcome by the trust board chairman Kanumuri Bapiraju and other board members including executive officer (EO) LV Subramanyam and joint executive officer (JEO) Srinivasa Raju.
The chief minister inaugurated and declared open Annamayya Marg, the newly renovated ancient path which is said to be used by the great saint-poet Annamayya to reach Tirumala.
Later, Kiran Kumar Reddy inaugurated the ‘Venkata Patham’, first phase of the Tirumala ring road. The 0.75 km long project costing Rs 5 crore was completed recently.
He also laid the base for ‘Vakula Vishranti Nilayam’ and the kitchen complex near the Vaikuntham Q complex, after which he returned to Sri Padmavati guest house. Earlier, at the Nada Neerajana mandapam, the chief minister released a spiritual book ‘Tirumala ananda nilaya sasanalu’ which describes the valuable content embedded in the inscriptions engraved on the walls of the Tirumala shrine in Telugu, Tamil, Sanskrit and Kannada languages. Later, he released pamphlets with the name ‘Tirumala Teerthalu’ which describes the importance of the sacred waterfalls spread across the beautiful Seshachala ranges which includes Japali, Chakra, Sanakasananda, Ramakrishna and Tumburu teerthams.
He also released a pamphlet named ‘Srivari Kanukaga Andina Nanela Vaisistyam’ which describes the history of various coins donated in Srivari Hundi since 1st Century AD.
The chief minister presented a pair of ‘silk vastrams’ to Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala on behalf of the state government, for the Sri Vari Annual Salakatla Brahmotsavam in Tirumala on Tuesday night.
He carried the silver plate containing the ‘vastrams’ on his head from the Bedi Anjaneya Swamy temple to the Venkateswara temple and was accompanied by temple paraphernalia and the ‘nadaswaram’ music. Later, he presented the ‘vastrams’ to one of chief priests Ramana Dikshitulu, inside the sanctum sanctorum.