Naidu Thanks Farmers Who Donated 33,000 Acres for Amaravati Capital
Naidu said the temple would be developed in the style of the Tirumala temple.
Vijayawada: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has laid the foundation stone for the `260 crore expansion works of the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple at Venkatapalem in Amaravati.
The works are expected to be completed within two and a half years. Naidu also laid the foundation for the Mahaprakaram Chaturdwara Gopuram on Thursday.
Naidu said the temple would be developed in the style of the Tirumala temple.
Naidu expressed gratitude to the farmers who donated 33,000 acres of land for the capital, Amaravati. “The temple development project will unfold in two major phases, costing Rs.92 crore and Rs.48 crore in the first phase, while the second phase involves Rs.120 crore,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the first phase would involve the Maha Prakaram around the temple, the Maha Rajagopuram, the Arjita Seva mandapam, the Ratha Mandapam, the Anjaneyaswamy temple and the Pushkarini.
The second phase would see works on the Mada street around the temple, the approach roads, the Annadana complex, rest houses for devotees, residential complex for archakas and staff, administrative buildings, Dhyana mandir and vehicle parking facilities.
Stating that the AP capital was named after Amaravati with the sankalpam of Sri Venkateswara Swamy, Naidu said that he grew up in the vicinity of Lord Venkateswara in Tirupati. He urged the devotees to promote the development of temples.
Naidu, a devotee of Lord Venkateswara whose family deity is the lord himself, spoke about his lifelong devotion as also the spiritual significance of the temple project. He recounted his personal experiences, including surviving a Naxalite attack, and highlighted “faith, humility, and discipline as cornerstones of spiritual life.”
The CM alleged that the previous government obstructed the temple's expansion and troubled the farmers, whereas his government has revived and advanced the project with full support from the community.
Earlier, Naidu offered prayers at the homa gundam and laid the foundation for the temple’s development works. He went through a photo exhibition on temple development plans. He interacted with both the officials and archakas of TTD.
The foundation ceremony was attended by ministers, TTD chairman BR Naidu, legislators, farmers and devotees. The project also sees support from philanthropists like the Remand Foundation, contributing `100 crore towards the temple construction.
Naidu sought blessings from Lord Venkateswara to foster a healthy, wealthy, and happy society in the state.