Andhra Pradesh - Tirupati   

TTD receives first donation for `Vakulamatha' project

Special Correspondent

Small coins amounting to over Rs. 50,000 donated

SMALL BEGINNING: TTD Board Chairman B. Karunakar Reddy receiving bags containing small coins from Harshavardhan Reddy as the first donation for `Vakulamatha' temple at Alipiri in Tirupati on Tuesday. — Photo: K.V.Poornachandra Kumar

TIRUPATI: The TTD on Tuesday received the first donation for its "Vakulamatha Project" which envisages installing statues of Vakulamatha--the mythological mother of Lord Venkateswara--wherever a temple for Lord Venkateswara exists. In fact a local business school functionary,

Harshavardhana Reddy, wanted to construct a temple for Vakulamatha atop the `Peruru Banda', a granite quarry 15 k.m. from Tirupati where he said a temple existed for the goddess in the past.

However, with the TTD itself deciding to take up the project and construct a temple for Vakulamatha not only at Alipiri but at all the places where a temple for Lord Venkateswara exists, Mr Harshavardhana Reddy formally passed on the project to the TTD. To symbolise the same, he handed over to the TTD Board Chairman, B. Karunakar Reddy, as his donation, a huge quantity of small coins worth about Rs.50,750.

Foreign coins too

Interestingly, there were some foreign coins too in the lot donated to the TTD authorities. At a small function, the TTD Chairman handed over the coin bags to the TTD's Chief Accounts Officer, Balaji, signalling the formal launching of the TTD's Vakulamatha project.

The TTD proposed to supply idols of Vakulamatha at 70% subsidy to all the Venkateswara temples, which desired to have the granite icon of the Lord's mother also in their temple complexes. Mr Reddy said he requested the TTD to utilise his donation to install the idols in the Venkateswara temples located in the US at Pittsburgh, Chicago, Livermore and Sacremento besides at the Alipiri Padala Mandapam here.

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TTD receives first donation for `Vakulamatha' project

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