The Telangana state government renovated the decades-old temple, built within about 2,500 square yards of the hilltop.
Posted Date – 11:08 PM, Sunday – 1/1/23
file photo.
Hyderabad: History was rewritten on March 28 last year when the “Mahakumbha Samproskhana” was performed atop the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Yadadri.
Since then, devotees are allowed to darshan at the sanctuary at the top of the mountain. The Telangana state government renovated the decades-old temple, built within about 2,500 square yards of the hilltop. It has now expanded to nearly four acres.
In the past, devotees hardly had any room to maneuver or gain prasadam after the darshan. Now, at any given point in time, 100,000 devotees can sit in the open space surrounding the temple.
Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has been at the forefront of the renovation of the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple since day one. On March 28, the chief minister, like an ordinary believer, carried the palanquin carrying the main god from Balarayam to the main temple on the top of the mountain.
Refurbishment of famous temples
To tie in with the Yadadri temple renovation, the state government is undertaking renovation works on other prominent temples in the state. Under this initiative, the Sri Raja Rajeswwara Swamy Temple in Vemulawada is being developed at a cost of Rs 60 crore. Likewise, Dharmapuri, Kaleshwaram and other temples are being developed with special funding from the state government.
Dhoopa Deepa Naivedyam Program
The Dhoopa Deepa Naivedyam scheme was launched under the Charitable Fund to provide honorariums to Archakas and Dhoopa Deepa Naivedyam to institutions lacking sources of income. The scheme covers up to 3,645 institutions with an annual commitment of Rs 26.25 crore. This year, temples in the Hyderabad area submitted 1,736 applications for assistance under the scheme. Currently, the review is underway and the plan will be expanded at the earliest.
Protection of Temple Land
Since the inception of Telangana, the endowment department has made it a top priority to protect the temple land from encroachment. Since 2015, the department has carried out special rectification, recovering more than 5,050 mu of agricultural land and 10,359 mu of non-agricultural land. Because much of these lands are vacant, the department is now installing fencing around important endowment properties that are more vulnerable to encroachment. During the current financial year, the department is executing works worth Rs 10 lakh.
other sources of income
The endowment segment is now focused on generating income through alternative sources. To this end, the department is building shopping malls and plans to lease the land to oil companies to build gas stations. The complexes on land belonging to the Chenna Keshava Swamy Temple, Chandanagar and Maruthi Mandir, Dilsukhnagar are nearing completion. Regarding the construction of the Jham Singh Balaji Mandir complex in Gudimalkapur, a tender has been called for the execution of the project.
Beyond that, the department is exploring other avenues, including leasing land to oil companies to build gas stations. In this regard, HPCL has shown interest and its officials have visited several sites in Warangal, Sadasivapet, Basara and six sites in Hyderabad.
Online Services and Bookings
20 major temples have introduced online pujas or sevas, especially during the Covid pandemic, for the convenience of devotees. Apart from these services, the department has also introduced online booking of Sri Seetha Ramachandra Swamy Talambralu via courier service. To this end, devotees can now book sevas, prasadam and accommodation facilities at 36 temples across the state through the T-App Folio. Prasadam will be delivered at the doorstep of the devotee.
