Endowments officials rule out rise in abhishekam tickets at Kanipakam temple

Vijayawada: The state endowments authorities ruled out any raise in ticket cost of Abhishekam to the lord at Swayambhu Varasiddhi Vinayaka Devasthanam at Kanipakam of Chittoor district from the present Rs 700.

In a statement from the office of endowments commissioner here on Thursday, the authorities said the temple was reconstructed with the support from the donors and the temple trust had taken a decision to keep the cost of Abhishekam ticket to be affordable to the commoners.

The authorities said that a public opinion was taken by some temple authorities to raise the Abhishekam ticket cost to Rs 5,000 from Rs 700 and described that such an act was done in haste without taking into consideration the sensitivity of the issue. They said that the temple trust had taken up a thorough discussion on the issue and withdrew the public opinion taken up on the issue.

The authorities said that if any unilateral decision was taken to raise the Abhishekam ticket cost without the knowledge of either the state government or the endowments commissioner, an enquiry would be taken up and the guilty would be taken to task.

They assured no change in performing the ahishekam to the lord at the temple with regard to anything and advised the devotees not to get panic over such issues as no change in the abhishekam ticket cost was permitted.