TTD, Endowments Roll Out ₹750-Cr Plan to Construct 5,000 Temples

Tirupati:A Rs 750-crore temple construction programme funded by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams is taking shape across Andhra Pradesh

The endowments department would construct 5,000 temples and Bhajana Mandirs across the state. The funding is being sourced from the Sri Venkateswara Aalayala Nirmanam (SRIVANI) Trust of the TTD.

The initiative focuses on regions with limited access to Hindu places of worship, particularly in coastal areas and habitations of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes. The programme is being jointly implemented by the endowments department and TTD.

Endowment minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy said such a large-scale temple construction drive had never been undertaken in a single phase in the state.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, he said the objective was to strengthen the practice of Sanathana Dharma by ensuring that villages and colonies have basic temple infrastructure.

The programme follows directions issued by chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, who asked the TTD to expand temple construction within the state and in other parts of the country. He suggested that temples be built in other state capitals and regions with a sizable Telugu population, with locally formed committees managing construction while maintaining an institutional link with Tirumala.

Ramanarayana Reddy said the endowments department has been designated as the implementing agency, with financial assistance linked to land availability. Temples proposed on land measuring 5 to 7.99 cents would receive `10 lakh, those on 8 to 9.99 cents `15 lakh, and structures on plots of 10 cents or more `20 lakh. In addition, model temples are proposed with an allocation of `30 lakh each.

TTD chairman BR Naidu said the initiative aligned with the Tirumala trust’s long-standing objective of spreading the message of Lord Venkateswara. He described the programme as the first and large-scale effort by TTD and the endowments department to construct temples and Bhajana Mandirs across the State.

Official records show that 1,176 applications have been received so far, with administrative approval granted for 463 temples, while another 99 proposals are under process. Villages or colonies seeking a temple can apply to the endowments department or the TTD. Once a local committee is formed, construction responsibility would be entrusted to it.