The rise of spiritual capital of Telangana

The Telangana government had renovated the decades-old temple, which was constructed in about 2,500 square yards atop the hill.

Hyderabad: On March 28 last year, history was rewritten when the ‘Mahakumbha Samproskhana’ was performed atop the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Yadadri.

Since then devotees are being permitted for darshan in the sanctum sanctorum atop the hill. The Telangana government had renovated the decades-old temple, which was constructed in about 2,500 square yards atop the hill. It has now been expanded to nearly four acres.

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In the past, there was hardly any space for devotees to move around after darshan or to obtain prasadam. Now, at any given point of time, one lakh devotees can sit in the open spaces around the temple.

Right from day one, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has led from the front in the renovation of the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple. On March 28, like a common devotee, the Chief Minister carried the palanquin in which the presiding deities were taken from the Balalayam to the main temple atop the hill.

Renovation of prominent temples

In tune with the Yadadri temple renovation, the State government is taking up renovation works at other prominent temples in the State. Under this initiative, the Sri Raja Rajeswwara Swamy temple, Vemulawada is being developed at a cost of Rs.60 crore. Similarly, the Dharmapuri, Kaleshwaram and other temples, are also being developed with special funding by the State government.

Dhoopa Deepa Naivedyam scheme

The Dhoopa Deepa Naivedyam scheme was introduced under the Common Good Fund for providing honorarium to Archakas and Dhoopa Deepa Naivedyam to the institutions, which lack source of income. As many as 3,645 institutions are covered under the scheme with an annual commitment of Rs.26.25 crore. This year, 1,736 applications were filed by temples in Greater Hyderabad limits for assistance under the scheme. At present, scrutiny is under progress and they would be extended under the scheme at the earliest.

Protection of temple lands

Since the formation of Telangana, the Endowments department is according top priority to save temple lands from encroachments. Since 2015, the department has taken up special drives and re-possessed over 5,050 acres of agriculture land and 10,359 yards non-agriculture lands. Since a majority of these lands are vacant plots, the department is now installing fencing around important endowment properties that are more prone to encroachment. In the current financial year, the department is executing works worth Rs.10 lakhs.

Alternate source of income

The Endowment department is now focusing on generating revenue through alternative sources. To this effect, the department is constructing shopping complexes and is planning to lease out lands to oil companies to set up their fuel stations. Already, construction of complexes in the lands belonging to Chenna Keshava Swamy temple, Chandanagar and Maruthi Mandir, Dilsukhnagar are nearing completion in the city. Regarding construction of a complex in Jham Singh Balaji Mandir premises, Gudimalkapur, tenders have been floated to execute the project.

This apart, the department is also exploring other avenues, including leasing lands to oil companies for setting up their fuel stations. In this regard, HPCL evinced interest and its officials inspected a few locations in Warangal, Sadasivapet, Basara and six locations in Hyderabad.

Online sevas and booking

Online pujas or sevas have been introduced at 20 major temples, especially during the Covid pandemic for the convenience of devotees. In addition to these services, the department has also launched the online booking of Sri Seetha Ramachandra Swamy Talambralu through courier service. Towards this, devotees can now book sevas, prasadam and accommodation facilities at 36 temples across the State through T-App Folio. Prasadam would be delivered at the doorsteps of the devotees.