No laddus at the cost of history, say Tirupathi Acharyas

[Guest guest]

Statesman News Service

CHENNAI, June 18. — A section of Hindu religious

leaders belonging to the Vaishnavite sect, are up in

arms against the Thirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam’s

ongoing Rs. 100 crore master plan for renovation of

the world renowned Venkateswara temple in Tirupathi

reportedly for increasing laddu preparation at the

cost of centuries old structures.

The acharyas have threatened to stage an agitation at

Thirumala if the new Congress government did not stop

all demolitions by 24 June. They accused the TTD

administration of razing the 650-year-old 1000

pillared mandapam near the main shrine, in November

last year. And, even before the new Congress-led

government came to power in Andhra Pradesh,

construction work had commenced at Thirumala, ignoring

protests from the Vaishnavites, including acharyas of

the Periya Jeeyar Matam, which had until the 1950s

conducted the religious procedures started by Sant

Ramanuja.

Talking to reporters here, the Vijayawada-based Sri

Tridandi Chinna Sriman Narayana Jeeyar Swami, who

heads the Jeeyar Educational Trust, said corrupt TTD

officials were behind the proposed construction of a

big wall around the temple, flattening maths, shrines

and old houses of Acharya Purushas in blatant

violation of the agama sampradayam, only to make more

money. He charged the TTD of neither consulting the

Central Archaeology Department nor the state

government and said the demolitions were against the

law relating to preservation of ancient and historic

structures. “Our acharyas rendered so much respect to

the hill itself. Such a hill is being blasted by bombs

by the TTD,’’ the Jeeyar lamented, pointing out that

even the house belonging to Sri Andalvan, the ‘temple

custodian” appointed by Ramanuja 900 years ago, had

been demolished and its surroundings have now become a

garbage dump.

Religious leaders from Nepal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,

Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, demanded a

halt to the construction at a recent conference in

Hyderabad , expressed concern and resolved to take the issue to

the people.

 

They demanded a halt to the construction and

1000-pillared mandapam be rebuilt.