Jagan government might downsize TTD temple in Amaravati

The YS Jaganmohan Reddy government, which is on a downsizing mission of former Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu’s grand plans including that of Amaravati, will be going for a small and functional temple for Lord Sri Venkateswara in Venkatapalem village here being constructed by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Board now led by Jagan’s maternal uncle YV Subba Reddy reportedly asked the authorities to cut the budget from Rs 150 cr to only Rs 30 cr.

Ananda Nilayam, the sanctum sanctorum of the lord and all the sub-temples, Annadana halls and resting facilities for the devotees will now only have the temple. It will not have the additional attractions that the board had envisaged during Naidu’s governance. “The idea is not to build something that is bigger than the real temple here in Tirumala that is against the Aagama Sasatras,” a senior Agama expert in Tirumala said.

However, the buzz in political circles is that the Jagan administration, which is averse of continuing the capital, might have felt that the expenditure will not attract sufficient footfall, after shifting of capital.

It is believed that the new board which is yet to be constituted will take a final call on the downsizing of the Amaravati temple. TTD has already built temples for the Lord in New Delhi, Kurukshetra, and Kanyakumari and in Hyderabad. The TDP government wanted a grand temple of Lord Venkateswara for the state capital so that it would be a centre of cultural activity for the residents of the capital area.

It was in January, that Naidu participated in the “Bhookarshanam and Beejaavapanam ceremony which took place in the auspicious Meena Lagnam. The temple which is coming up in 25 acres of land in Amaravati is expected to be completed within two years. The architecture of the temple has been carefully selected after studying several plans of famous temples in south India. In August 2018 the then TTD Board under the Chairmanship of P Sudhakar Yadav resolved to sanction Rs.150 cr towards the construction of the temple. The chairman quit his post after the new government took over. The entire board followed suit.

The YSRC government has already decided to scale down the proposed 'iconic' bridge across the Krishna river. The 3.2-km long six-lane bridge that is intended to connect Amaravati with Vijayawada-Hyderabad national highway will be simple and not iconic and may cost around Rs 400 crore, down from the earlier proposed cost of Rs 1,387 crore.