The TTD has requisitioned the services of a four-member team of experts from the Archaeological Survey of India to study the origin, antique value and the worth of some of the most ancient ornaments and various other precious items which were once used for the conduct of rituals in the hill temple of Lord Venkateswara.
On the job
In an informal chat with media persons here on Friday TTD Executive Officer L.V. Subramanyam has said that the ASI team is currently on the mission at the TTD’s Treasury Department here where the precious and antiquated ornaments are stored amid a high security.
Monetary value
The team besides evaluating their antique value, would also try to ascertain their possible monetary value, he said and added that special focus would be on certain ornaments and articles to clear the air over their origin and to ascertain whether they indeed belonged to the Srikrishna Devaraya period.
After the completion of the evaluation and the inventory of all the articles, the antiquated items would be kept on display at the TTD’s S.V. Museum at Tirumala for the benefit of the visiting pilgrims.
New attraction
This would be an added attraction to the pilgrims from this year onwards, Mr. Subramanyam said and claimed that the TTD has been maintaining a fool-proof inventory system (Tiruvabharanam Register) since the year 1952. Various committees constituted by the government to study the inventory system and the maintenance of registers have complimented the TTD for the efficient and effective manner in which it was doing the sensitive job, Mr. Subramanyam said.
Also present at the media meet was the TTD’s Joint E.O. K.S. Srinivasa Raju and the CV & SO, G.V.G. Ashok Kumar.
