TTD temple getting ready in Delhi

Keeping in view, the escalating number of devotees converging at Tirumala-Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh for having a glimpse of Lord Balaji, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) is planning for some alternatives to cope up with the massive conglomeration of devotees in order to make the worship hassle-free.

In one such initiative, a temple of Lord Venkateshwara build by the TTD in New Delhi “is getting ready” and is expected to be thrown for public worship by April 2012. The Executive Officer of the trust L V Subramanyam while disclosing this to reporters here on Sunday said that the new temple would be coming up in the ‘Gol Market’ area of the national capital at an estimated cost of Rs 3.5 crores. The temple is expected to be equipped with a ‘Gnana kendra’,  library and book shop besides many other amenities.

Stating that the trust was keen to build more temples in other parts of the country to obviate the need for pilgrims to always travel long distance for the ‘Darshan’ of Lord Balaji, the officer said it would hinge on devotees donating a piece of land for its temple.             

  
Interestingly, a ‘Balaji Mandir’ modeled on the TTD’s rituals tradition in Tirumala was also being planned in the country’s commercial capital of Mumbai. But they were still on their way to identify the land, Subramanyam said after a meeting of the newly set up ‘Local Advisory Committee’ for the trust’s Chennai Centre.

Rolling out plans for providing more facilities for pilgrims visiting the Tirumala Temple, particularly those who walk by road the entire distance from places like Chennai, Subramanyam said that along with the Tamil Nadu Government TTD had planned to construct about six ‘Rest Houses’ alongside the long-taken Chennai-Tiruttani-Tirupati-Tirumala route.

The Tamil Nadu Government will provide the land for constructing these ‘Rest Houses’ for pilgrims who walk to Tirumala, while similar facilities had already been provided on the Andhra Pradesh side of their route, he said. Plans are also there to make one such temple at Kanyakumari.