TIRUPATI: The foundation stone-laying ceremony for the development and beautification of the existing Anjana Devi sameta Sri Bala Anjaneya Swamy temple on the Anjanadri hills, was held on Wednesday.The Anjanadri ranges in Tirumala reverberated with the rhythmic chants of ‘Hanuman Nama’ on the occasion of the Bhoomi Puja held near Akasa Ganga, which was led by TTD Agama Advisor and Kankanabhattar Sri Mohana Rangacharyulu.
The event was graced by Sri Swarupanandendra Saraswathi Swamy of Visakha Sarada Peetham along with junior pontiff Swatmanandendra Saraswathi, Chitrakoota Peethadhipathi Ramabhadracharya, Ramajanmabhoomi Trust treasurer Govind Devi Giri Maharaj, VHP joint secretary Koteswara Sarma, TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy, EO KS Jawahar Reddy, and donors N Nageswara Rao and K Murali Krishna.
A sequence of vedic events--Rakshabandhanam, Ankurarpanam, Panchagavyaradhana, Vastu Homam, Vastu Darsanam, Shankabhishekam, Ratnanyasam, Pradhama Silasthapana and Bhoomi Puja--were performed as part of the Sankusthapana Mahotsavam.Speaking after the ground-breaking ceremony, Swaroopananda Saraswati Maha Swami of Sarada Peetham of Visakhapatnam said it is with the blessing of Sri Venkateswara Swamy that the Bhoomi puja for the development and beautification of Anjanadri was performed.He said both Telugu states are the epitome of Bhakti with umpteen number of pilgrim centers.
TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy said the TTD will develop Hanumanta birthplace at Akasha Ganga into one of the most sought after pilgrim centres without altering the ancient structures of Sri Anjanadevi and Sri Bala Anjaneya temples, and that the TTD is not keen to engage in any controversies further. He also highlighted the various dharmic programmes taken up by the TTD, including rejuvenation of dilapidated 100-year-old temples and construction of 502 villages in SC/BC/ST and fishermen hamlets,
EO Dr KS Jawahar Reddy said the focus came to Hanumanta birthplace only after Ayodhya Ram Mandir Bhoomi puja. He said the TTD has set up a pundits’ committee headed by former Vice Chancellor of Rashtriya Sanskrit university late Acharya Muralidhar Sharma. On April 21, 2021 after four months of study on historic, uranic, geographical and archaeological evidences, the committee announced that Anjanadri is the birthplace of Hanumanta. “There was only one objection but without proper logic and hence rejected.”
The Pontiff of Tulasi mutt, Chitrakoot Ramabhadracharyulu advocated that 12 of the 18 Puranas have stated that Anjanadri is the birth place of Anjaneya. “There is no need for any debate or controversy over the birthplace of Anjaneya as Anjaneya is a Purana Purusha and he is omnipresent.”
Ayodhya Ram temple garbhalaya works to complete in 2 years, says trust official
The garbhalaya works of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya will be completed by the end February in 2024, said Sri Govind Dev Giriji, the treasurer trustee of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, in Tirumala on Wednesday. Speaking to TNIE on the sidelines of the Bhoomi Puja at Anjanadri, he said, “The works are going ahead of the schedule. The construction works of the garbhalaya and sanctum sanctorum have been divided after a new team of workers was hired. As devotees from across the world have donated for the temple, the trust has more than sufficient money to complete the construction.” After completion of the garbahalaya, it will take eight more years for the entire temple construction to complete, he added.