Lord’s Crown Mortgaged for Personal Use

Vijayawada:A golden crown donated to the Kalyana Venkateswara Swamy temple at Gudivada was allegedly mortgaged by temple committee members in a bank to meet personal financial needs.

According to sources, the crown, worth nearly Rs 70 lakh, was donated to the temple in 2025. Donor M. Subba Rao reportedly noticed that the ornament was not being adorned to Lord Venkateswara for some time.

Upon inquiry, he allegedly found that the temple committee members had mortgaged the crown for `38 lakh.

The donor demanded that the crown be returned so that it could be donated to another temple with a “responsible management committee”.