The pulling down of a cement wall in Srikalahastheeswara Swamy temple in Srikalahasti town assumed political colours, with the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) casting aspersions against the State government as well as the Trust governing the ancient shrine.
The incident happened by the end of December 2023, when the badly-damaged wall abutting the ‘Naivedya Potu’ (temple kitchen) at the sub-shrine of Lord Mrutyunjaya was brought down.
According to temple sources, the brick-and-mortar wall was built in 1956 as proposed by one Krishnamachari Pillai, a paid trustee on the board, to store ghee tins and other utensils used for the kitchen. The wall served as a screen, hiding the store room from the eyes of devotees.
The seemingly-insignificant development assumed political overtones when the TDP’s Srikalahasti constituency in-charge Bojjala Venkata Sudheer Reddy took a selfie video in front of the demolished wall, dubbing it “a sacrilegious act.” He also expressed suspicion that the demolition was done with an eye on the ‘hidden treasure’ behind the wall.
Brushing aside the allegations, the Srikalahastheeswara Swamy Devasthanam Board Chairman Anjuru T. Srinivasulu clarified that it was not a stone structure of the Vijayanagara era, as claimed by the TDP leader.
“It is not at all a stone structure, but just a brick and mortar wall. There was neither a Lakshmi idol, nor any hidden treasure as claimed by Sudheer Reddy. We are ready to swear before the presiding deity in the sanctum sanctorum and also challenge the TDP leader to do the same”, Mr. Srinivasulu told The Hindu. Referring to the TDP leader carrying a mobile phone into the shrine, in spite of a ban, he said the board left it to his wisdom.
Mr. Srinivaulu further said the demolition was necessitated to create space for performing “Veda Asirvachanam” (showering of blessings in the form of Vedic hymns) to visiting VIPs and dignitaries. “In fact, there are Mandapams for holding such an exercise at Tirumala and Kanipakam temples, but in the absence of a dedicated space, the same is performed in the temple corridor, creating inconvenience to the devotees,” he added.
“The demolition was approved by the trust board in its meeting held way back in August, but it had to be executed in December in an emergency situation, as the wall appeared to collapse due to the recent rains. Also, the entire demolition exercise was videographed and there is nothing to hide”, Mr. Srinivasulu clarified.
The TDP leader is yet to respond to the board’s challenge.
