RAJAMAHEDRAVARAM: It was their clear resolve and devotion that made it possible. A massive temple spread over an acre of land and situated on the banks of the Godavari, has been built by 13 farmhands with donations worth over Rs 1 crore collected over a period of three years.
After finishing their work for the day, the group of 13 women visited towns and villages in the twin Godavari districts to seek donations for the temple to be dedicated to Lord Venkateswara. Finally, they completed the construction of the temple, located near the Kovvada bridge in West Godavari and some 30 km away from Rajamahendravaram, and inaugurated it in a low-key event on Friday evening.
The women have become overnight celebrities in Pattiseema and Polavaram villages, for their unusual feat. For three years straight, they fought against many odds, besides thwarting stiff resistance from people opposing a temple in the area.
“All who opposed our effort or created hurdles attended the inaugural, which assured us that the village is united stands by us,” said N Ramalakshmi, one of the 13 women.
Ramalakshmi, Appala Narsamma, Ananthalakskmi, Simhachalam, Durgarani, Venkatalaxkmi, Sujatha, Aruna, Venkataramana, Kumar, Alivelu, Ramalakshmi and Lakshmi built the entire temple with their own hands.
“To be exact, it took us three years and 45 days...” Ramalakshmi said and added that they now planned to build a wedding hall.
The women had been in a group for several years, participating in spiritual services whenever they found time. They offered their services at the local Ammavari temple, too.
“While serving at temples, we got the idea that we should build a temple in our own village for all the locals. The plan, initially, was to have a small temple. But when we started mobilising donations, the response prompted us to think big. Finally, we did it,” she explained.
Eleven of the 13 women don’t own even a piece of land and all of them work in agriculture fields for Rs 400-450 a day. Before approaching the locals, they pooled their own contributions. “We had engaged an auto-rickshaw to collect donations from people, irrespective of their caste, in Tadepalligudem, Rajamahendravaram, Polavaram, Kovvur and other places. Farmers from every village in the area contributed,” the women said in unison.
“Initially, there were objections and arguments. Some questioned us why we were keen on building a temple in this particular place. We explained to them the significance of the location and the beauty it will offer to the entire area as the famous Shiva temple in Pattiseema is just a few kilometres away,” the women explained.
The land was originally under the control of the irrigation department. However, officials did not object when the women approached them for cooperation for the temple. The women got the design prepared by an Agama Sastra pandit and got the idols of Lord Venkateswara, Goddesses Padmavati and Andal sculpted in Tirupati.