The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Aesthetic touch to Tirumala pilgrimage

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 27, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Aesthetic touch to Tirumala pilgrimage

Special Correspondent

Stone icons and pieces of relics to be installed

TIRUMALA: The Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) would be soon taking steps to improve the aesthetics and the religious atmosphere all along the route which the pilgrims take during their pilgrimage to Tirupati-Tirumala. This was the view that emerged at the end of hours-long joint inspection conducted on Thursday at different locations by the TTD Board Chairman, T. Subbirami Reddy, along with the newly-appointed Adviser to the TTD, P.V. R.K. Prasad.

Mr. T. Subbirami Reddy, in the company of Mr. Prasad, told mediapersons at Tirumala that with a view to giving a touch of architecture and grandeur all along the route, stone icons, pillars, arches and pieces of relics would be installed.

Blueprint

He said the Adviser had been asked to prepare the necessary blueprint for the same and added that if need be the TTD would take the help of technocrats abroad. To spread bhakthi cult and inculcate moral values especially among the younger elements, Mr. Reddy said that necessary syllabus would be added into the curriculum in the TTD educational institutions.

Similarly, Dharma Prachara activities would be stepped up in all the district headquarters towns and pointed out that instead of the Burrakatha and Harikatha, which he said had become obsolete, modern methods like music, dance etc would be used as medium to promote the cause.

He said steps would be taken on the social side by providing medicare to the poor and the physically challenged persons/pilgrims. He said the TTD's Deaf and Dumb Centre would be revived and the speech and visually-impaired persons would be taken care of.

Mr. Reddy admitted that accommodation on the hills was becoming an increasingly difficult task because of the increasing turnout each year and said that the TTD was preparing to sort-out the problem in a phased manner.

The TTD's Executive Officer, A.P.V.N. Sarma, and the Joint Executive Officer, Tirumala, Muktheswara Rao, also were present.

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