HYDERABAD: A grand ceremony is planned to kickstart the renovation of Yadadri temple.
After inspecting the ongoing works on Tuesday, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said: "The renovation programme will begin with the Maha Sudarsana Yagam, which will be conducted seven days prior to the Maha Kumbha Samprokshana. It will be conducted by arranging 1,008 Kundams by around 5-6,000 Rutviks."
The Yagam requires 1.5 lakh kg of ghee. Prominent religious personalities and VIPs would attend the reopening ceremony.
Rao said that the 'Bangaru Tapadam' would be done to the temple's 'Vimana Gopuram' on the lines of gold-plating the Tirumala Gopuram. As per estimates, 125 kg of gold costing around Rs 60 crore is required for the gold plating works. The required gold will be purchased from Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to ensure purity.
Rao announced that donations for purchasing the gold would be collected from all 12,769 grama panchayats, 3,600 municipal wards in 142 municipalities and from Hyderabad city.
"Each grama panchayat can give as minimum as Rs 11 for the same. It will give people a sense of participation," he said. He announced that on behalf of his family, he would donate one kg and 16 tolas of gold.
The Chief Minister added that 250 cottages, costing around Rs 2 crore, would be constructed soon near the temple. He said a Kalyana Mandapam too would come up.
Shop owners who would be evicted as a result of the constructions would be allotted new shops and a colony would be constructed for journalists, he announced. He added that temple employees would be given plots.