Bengaluru-based devotee offers Rs. 500 crore development work for Kerala temple

A temple in Kerala has received a donation offer of over Rs. 500 crore from a Bengaluru-based devotee.

The Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple in Ernakulam district, around ten kilometers from Kochi city, got a huge offer. The Cochin Devaswom Board that manages the temple has decided to seek the nod of Kerala High Court for taking forward the proposal owing to the huge amount involved.

Gana Shravan of Gana Shravan (SwaamyG) Companies, who made the offer, told DH that he received much fortunes in life and business after he started visiting the temple regularly and hence he was making the donation.

Though the proposal was submitted almost one year back further steps were getting delayed owing to Covid-19 as well as other procedures involved owing to the big donation.

The Devaswom Board secretary V A Sheeja said that the board was yet to take a final decision on the matter and it was pending legal opinion. Sources in the Devaswom Board said that as per norms any development works above Rs. 20 lakh using the Devaswom Board's funds require the nod of a Devaswom bench of HC. Even as the donation would not come under its purview, the board decided to seek HC opinion to avoid any future legal issues owing to the huge donation involved.

Shravan, who is now 46, said that he is a native of Chikkaballapur district and was basically in the music field for nearly 20 years. But there was not much fortune in his life. Four years back he visited the Chottanikkara temple as advised by his guru and thereafter he got much fortune in business.

Shravan said that he was mainly into gold, diamond, and rare metals trading by associating with a Mumbai-based firm and was also setting up a jewel shop at Bengaluru. He was also into the construction and interior design business in Bengaluru.

The decades-old Chottanikkara Bhagavathy temple is one of the major worship centre in Kerala and it has many myths associated with it. A two-phase development work has been proposed. It included two 'gopurams', renovation of various mandapams, sewage treatment plant, and construction of a guest house in the first phase.

"A detailed master plan and designs were also already prepared and submitted. The second phase included the development of the nearby area's roads also and hence it would require the nod of the local body also," said architect Ajith who prepared the proposal.