Wear and Tear Reduces TTD Temple Jewellery Value by ₹2.3 Lakh
The TTD Trust Board, chaired by B.R. Naidu, recently approved waiving the diminished value after considering the annual physical verification report of ornaments across all temples under its management.
TIRUPATI: Temple jewellery used at the Tirumala temple of Lord Venkateswara Swamy and other shrines managed by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) recorded a cumulative reduction in value of about Rs 2.3 lakh during the 2024–25 financial year due to normal wear and tear from regular use during rituals and festivals.
The TTD Trust Board, chaired by B.R. Naidu, recently approved waiving the diminished value after considering the annual physical verification report of ornaments across all temples under its management. The board treated the reduction as a routine operational loss.
Under state government guidelines, TTD conducts an annual physical verification of gold, silver and diamond ornaments. The exercise is carried out in the presence of Income Tax Department-empanelled registered valuers, State Audit representatives and a pilgrim witness.
TTD maintains a Thiruvabharanam register containing details of all temple jewellery. The traditional physical register has now been replaced by a digital Thiruvabharanam Management System, which records jewellery administration, donations, transfers between temples, physical verification, appraisal and valuation.
During the annual verification, ornaments permanently adorning the presiding deities are inspected under a separate procedure. At the Tirumala temple, the verification is conducted in the presence of senior TTD officials, while authorised committees carry out similar inspections at other TTD-managed temples.
According to TTD, minor reductions in the weight and value of ornaments are inevitable as the jewellery is used regularly for the main and processional deities during daily rituals, Brahmotsavams and other religious festivals. The wear and tear is certified by registered valuers and recorded in the digital system after approval by the Trust Board.
For 2024–25, the total reduction in value across all 81 TTD temples was assessed at about Rs 2.3 lakh. Of this, the Tirumala temple accounted for Rs 1.51 lakh, followed by Rs 29,278 at Sri Padmavathi Ammavari Temple in Tiruchanoor and Rs 28,351 at Sri Kalyana Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Srinivasa Mangapuram.
