Metro India News | AMARAVATI

Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Monday fulfilled the assurance he gave during his earlier visit to the IS Jagannathapuram Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple in Dwaraka Tirumla Mandal of Eluru district. The Deputy CM, who had pledged to take up temple development and improve road connectivity to the hill shrine, formally launched major works worth Rs 8.7 crore on Monday.

During his previous visit, Pawan Kalyan had promised villagers that he would facilitate the construction of a pradakshina mandapam and ensure a proper road leading from the village to the temple. Acting on that commitment, he took the matter to the Cabinet, requested special funding from Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, and sought support from Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy. 

Following these efforts, the state government sanctioned Rs 8.7 crore for comprehensive temple development. Additionally, 30 acres of land have been allotted for the temple’s expansion and associated facilities. As part of his Eluru district tour, Pawan Kalyan, accompanied by district in-charge minister Nadendla Manohar, visited the shrine and performed special prayers before laying the foundation stones for the development works. 

These include a Rs 3.5-crore pradakshina mandapam funded by the Endowments Department and a Rs 3.7-crore new approach road from the village to the temple under Panchayat Raj Road Assets funds. He also reviewed the recently completed Rs 1.5-crore road repairs between Ponguturu and Lakkavaram, executed with R&B support. In a significant gesture, the Deputy CM handed over official documents confirming the allocation of 30 acres of land to temple authorities.

Responding to widespread concerns over the alleged use of adulterated ghee in Tirumala, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan launched a scathing attack on the previous YSRCP government and the then TTD Board. In a strongly worded post in social media platform X, he said the former administration had “betrayed the trust of devotees” and damaged the sanctity of the world-renowned temple.

“Tirumala is not just a temple; it is the foundation of our devotion,” he wrote. “But during the last government’s tenure, the TTD board and officials shattered the hearts of devotees. They treated our faith as an opportunity.”

He noted that between 2019 and 2024, over 10.97 crore devotees visited Tirumala, an average of 60,000 people per day, including common citizens and top dignitaries such as the President and Prime Minister. Pawan Kalyan accused the previous administration of breaking the sacred trust placed in them by the people. “The YSRCP government completely destroyed the sanctity of the trust that people had in them,” he said, calling it a painful chapter in Tirumala’s history.