The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Samarasata Sewa Foundation for the construction of 111 Bhajan Mandirams (small temples) across Andhra Pradesh. The cost of the project which shall be funded by the SriVani Trust has been put around ₹11.10 crore.
The aim of the project is to check the growing instances of religious conversions among weaker sections such as SCs, STs and BC colonies and villages and provide them a primary venue for organising religious functions etc.
The TTD has already constructed 502 Bhajana Mandirams between October 2016 and March 2018 in various parts of the State.
The decision comes in the wake of requests pouring in seeking financial support for the construction of mandirams in various localities and villages. So far, the TTD has received 1,434 requests including those endorsed by the Endowments Department.
Earlier, the TTD decided to take up the work in collaboration with the Endowments Department. But it signed an MoU with Samarasata Sewa Foundation (SSF) following the refusal by the latter.
According to MoU, the Samarasata Sewa Foundation conducted a preliminary survey for the construction of 111 Bhajana Mandirams in the first phase and fixed ₹10 lakh as the maximum cost for each mandiram.
To avoid indiscriminate spending of funds, the TTD has imposed restrictions such as the formation of a registered village temple committee consisting of 10 to 15 members, opening a joint bank account, availability of a maximum of five cents of land for taking up the construction in strict adherence to the plan and so on.
The TTD has also imposed a rider that the mandiram should be the first of its kind in the identified locality and the payments by the SSF to village temple committees be made online. It has agreed to immediately release one-third of the project cost and 5% of the cost in the form of administrative charges to the foundation.
The temple trust board, which has recently endorsed the proposal, resolved to take up the construction of Bhajana Mandirams in Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu in collaboration with their respective Endowments Departments.
