VIZIANAGARAM: Deputy Chief Minister (Endowments) Kottu Satyanarayana on Monday reiterated that the construction of the Kodandarama Swamy temple at Ramatheertham in three months was a testament to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s sincerity to the people of the State. “Though the opposition is trying to sling mud on the government, CM Jagan has proved all their claims wrong with the construction of the temple in a record time,” he added.
On Monday, he attended the re-installation programme of Rama, Sita and Laxmana idols and Dwajastambam in the newly-constructed temple on Bodikonda (Neelachalam) hills in Vizianagaram district. Education Minister Botsa Satyanarayana, endowments commissioner Hari Jawaharlal, district collector A Suryakumari, MLAs, MLCs and local leaders took part in the ceremony.
Earlier, the minister was accorded a traditional welcome by temple priests and endowments officials. MANSAS chairman and hereditary trustee of the Ramatheertham temple P Ashok Gajapathi Raju did not attend the ceremony despite getting an invitation. He, however, visited the temple in the evening.
Vedic pundits from the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams (TTD) and Dwaraka Tirumala Devasthanam, and Ramatheertham temple chief priest Khandavalli Sairamacharyulu performed rituals as per the Agama Sastra and consecrated the idols of the deities at 7:37 am. Later, they reinstalled the Dwajastambam and concluded the programme with Santhi Homam. The idols were desecrated by some miscreants in December 2020.
Speaking to reporters here, the endowments minister said: “The government had sanctioned `3 crore for reconstruction of the Kodandarama temple, which was vandalised by unknown miscreants on December 28, 2020. It was rebuilt in a record 110 days. The case, meanwhile, is under investigation and the miscreants who vandalised the idol of Lord Rama will be punished.”
Minister Botsa said the idols were installed as per the time fixed by the Agama Sastra and Vedic pundits. “There is a proposal under consideration by the CM to celebrate the Srirama Navami celebrations at Ramatheertham as a State festival,” he added.
Meanwhile, Gajapathi Raju said the government failed to arrest those who vandalized the idols. “The government has no right to divert funds from the endowments department for welfare schemes.”He said he stayed away from the temple opening ceremony as illegal cases were booked against him during the foundation stone-laying ceremony on December 22 last year.