The ongoing agitation for Samaikyandhra for the last two months has had its impact on the ancient Srikalahasti temple, famously known as Vayulingeswara temple and also as ‘Rahu-Kethu Kshetra’. The temple revenue has declined by Rs 3 crore due to the fall in the number of pilgrims visiting the temple since the beginning of the agitation.
Due to lack of proper transportation services in Seemandhra following APSRTC employees going on an indefinite strike resenting the decision on bifurcation, many devotees scheduled to visit the shrine during the last two months either have postponed or cancelled their visit.
Only those pilgrims who have the capacity to hire private vehicles have been visiting the ancient temple. And as a result, the temple which used to get `70 lakh, about 430 kilos of silver, about 100 grams of gold and upto 200 foreign currency notes through its hundi collection and upto Rs 3 crore on sale of Rahu-Ketu puja tickets every month, has been suffering a loss of about Rs 3 crore during the past two months.
Usually, the temple hundi collection counting process, which is held once in a month, was taken up on September 28 after two months, where only Rs 92 lakh, 448 kilos of silver, 95 grams of silver and 195 foreign currency notes were seen. The above said figures almost are equal to the Hundi collection of a month when devotees used to throng the temple. Speaking to Express, Srikalahasti temple Executive Officer A Sriramachandra Murty said that the fall in number of visiting devotees for regular darshan and for performing Rahu Ketu pujas, the hundi collection and revenue generated through Rahu-Ketu pujas declined in the past two months. “The loss can be put around Rs 3 crore,’’ he said.
The temple which offers Rahu-Ketu puja on Rs 300, Rs 750, Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,500 tickets, used to perform upto 60,000 pujas in all the categories used to get about Rs 3 crore in every month, which almost has declined by 50 per cent.