TIRUPATI: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams on Monday sought to dispel the `misapprehensions' created over the boundaries of the `seven hills', the abode of Lord Venkateswara.

A team of senior TTD officials led by its Executive Officer, A.P.V.N. Sarma, had to labour hard at a media conference to put the record straight on a range of contentious issues raised on Sunday by host of Mathadhipathis and Peethadhipathis at their special summit here.

A major issue that the sadhus and sants had raised at the conclave was that in the wake of a controversial G.O released late last year by the State Government, Tirumala, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, would no longer remain the same `seven hills' as it is called in the ancient texts but would have to reconcile itself to a mere two hills.

The meet alleged that in the context of the contentious G.O the remaining five hills would go out of the purview of the temple (TTD), implying that it would thus be open for all secular activities.

Allegations refuted

The TTD top brass at the press conference dismissed as baseless and totally unfounded the allegations. The Executive Officer was at pains to drive home the point that there was not even an inch of addition or deletion to the jurisdiction of the temple (10 and1/3 sq km around the shrine). It is as intact as it was in the post-GO period, he declared.

Mr Sarma asserted that the G.O. declared Tirumala as a `township of pilgrim importance' and vested the TTD's EO with all the powers of a sarpanch. He questioned the apprehensions that it would be used to build churches in Tirumala or that its boundaries would be tampered with.

Mr. Sarma further maintained that the concept of `seven hills' was only a popular perception among the devotees and that there was nothing like a first hill, second hill and so on.

As to the other demands of the sadhus summit, the EO maintained that an intensive house-to-house search conducted at Tirumala by the TTD one month ago following allegations of evangelical activities, not even a single house was detected.

He however said that non-Hindus working in the TTD would be moved to non-temple departments and so also non-Hindus if found living on the hills would be deported to Tirupati.

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