KAKINADA : The State government on Monday allocated Rs 8.5 crore for the development of Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple at Antarvedi. Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple at Antarvedi is one of the famous temples in the State. The visiting pilgrims also visit Antarvedi beach, which is just four km away from the shrine. Out of Rs 8.5 crore fund, the main temple will be reconstructed with hard granite stone at a cost of Rs 5 crore and the temple pond will be extended to four acres at a cost of Rs 3.5 crore to organise float festival (Teppotsavam).
At present, there are only 30 rooms for devotees at the temple town, which are insufficient during festival days. Temple executive officer Yerramsetti Bhadraji said the temple owns 34.6 acres of land and plans are afoot to construct more rooms, a healthcare centre, a yoga centre and a walking track. Proposals for the same have already been sent to the State government, he added.
The footfall of devotees on normal days is over 500 and on festival days, the number goes up to 5,000. The ancient temple was constructed with sandstone and some of its portion got damaged due to sea erosion. Some of the problems that are plaguing the temple town are lack of sufficient cell towers and drinking water. Another problem haunting the town is lack of transport facility.