The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has formally took possession of a prime chunk of land in Mumbai from the Maharashtra government, which was allotted on lease basis to the temple management on Wednesday.
Following a request by TTD Executive Officer Anil Kumar Singhal for allotment of land in the city, the Maharashtra government offered 648 sq.m of land in the city’s East Bandra locality. TTD’s Joint Executive Officer P. Basant Kumar took possession of the land from Milind Borikar, Collector of Mumbai suburban district.
The TTD already has a temple-cum-information centre at a rented premises in Sion area of Mumbai to disseminate information to the local devotees about the accommodation, darshan/sevas and other amenities available at Tirumala and Tirupati.
On the new sprawling premises, the TTD proposes to construct a temple with the sanctum sanctorum housing the presiding deity of Lord Venkateswara, on the lines of Tirumala.
Accommodation facility
The building will also have ‘Artha Mandapam’, ‘Mukha Mandapam’ in the elevated first floor and a temple kitchen (Potu) and meditation hall in the basement. Accommodation facility will also be provided at the same premises after the reputed ‘Sthapathi’ (temple sculptor) and the architectural firm sit together to finalise the plan.
Mr. Basant Kumar formally met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Finance Minister Sudhir Mungatiwar and offered the famous ‘Tirumala Laddu Prasadam’ to them, as a thanksgiving for the generous gesture. Mr. Kumar was accompanied by the TTD Mumbai Local Advisory Committee (LAC) members V. Ranganathan, Gita Kasturi and Samir K. Mehta.
