Thallayapalem hamlet in Mandhadam gram panchayat in Thullur mandal is the place where Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu will perform the bhoomi puja for the new capital of Andhra Pradesh at 8.49 a.m. on June 6.
Thallayapalem is located around 15 km from Rayapudi and adjacent to Mandhadam village. The hamlet is known for its banana plantations.
Vaastu considerations seem to have gone into the decision to perform the bhoomi puja in this hamlet. Ministers scouting for a suitable site were asked to look for locations northeast of the Krishna and facing the river. Undavalli and Penumaka villages too fulfilled the criteria but were rejected because of stiff resistance to the government’s land pooling scheme in the two villages. So it had to be Thallayapalem.
ADVERTISEMENT
Within the village, the exact site of the bhoomi puja is a choice between two possible locations, one right on the river bank and another within the hamlet, according to a senior official. Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana along with Joint Collector Ch. Sridhar visited the two locations. “The exact location will be finalised after discussing security aspects in a couple of days,” the official said. Sources, however, said a 10-acre plot that belonged to Thullur ZPTC member Bezawada Narendra had been identified for the ceremony.