M. Ramalinga Raju, an NRI from the U.S., on Tuesday donated Rs.16 crore to the Tirumala temple of Lord Venkateswara.
Mr. Raju, who handed over a demand draft to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairman K. Bapiraju and the Tirumala-based Joint Executive Officer K.S. Srinivasa Raju, requested them to use Rs. 11 crore towards the making of Sahasra Nama Mala with 35 kg of gold for the presiding deity and Rs.5 crore for the construction of Annaprasadam bhavanam at the temple of goddess Padmavati ammavaru in Tiruchanoor.
Later, the TTD Chairman said the donor also had expressed his willingness to donate Rs.65 lakhs for the construction of a dhyana mandiram at Sri Vari padalu, situated about 3 km in the Tirumala forests.
