Revanth Reddy to unveil gold-plated Yadadri temple ‘gopuram’ today
The plating work continued from December 1 last year to February 18, with the involvement of almost 50 workers
Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy will unveil the much-awaited gold-plated “Vimana Gopuram” (tower) of the ancient temple of Lord Lakshminarasimha Swamy at Yadagirigutta in Yadadri Bhongir district of Telangana amid Vedic rituals on Sunday, the temple authorities said on Saturday.
Considered to be the tallest “Vimana Gopuram” built over the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, standing at a height of 50.5 feet, it was gold-plated on all sides, on the lines of Lord Venkateshwara Swamy temple of Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati district. The height of Ananda Nilayam, the gopuram of Tirumala deity, is 33 feet.
Executive officer of the temple A Bhaskar Rao told reporters on Saturday that the unveiling of the gold-plated Vimana Gopuram will be held during the conclusion ceremony of the Maha Kumbhabhisheka Samprokshanam (cleansing of the temple with holy water), which began on Wednesday, for which water was collected from 40 sacred rivers.
“The chief minister will dedicate the gold-plated Vimana Gopuram to the deity under the auspices of the head of the Vanamamalai Math, Madhurakavi Ramanuja Jeeyarswamy. As many as 108 priests from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana will take part in the Vedic ritual,” Rao said.
The plating work continued from December 1 last year to February 18, with the involvement of almost 50 workers. Nearly 68 kg of gold has been used, and over 10,759 square feet area was covered. The total cost of the work was around ₹70 crore, he said.
Additionally, 113 idols of Lord Vishnu and other deities will be adorned with gold plating on the Gopuram. The temple has utilised donations from devotees, along with contributions from over 350 donors, who donated more than ₹1 lakh each and received special invitations for the event, he added.
The ancient cave shrine of Lord Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy at Yadagirigutta, located at about 70 km from Hyderabad, was remodelled on the lines of Tirumala temple at a cost of ₹1,800 crore and thrown open to the public on March 28, 2022 during the regime of Bharat Rashtra Samithi president and then chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.
The temple, which was originally confined to less than half-an-acre area, was remodelled into a sprawling 14.5-acre temple complex, consisting of seven temple domes, including a 100-foot main dome. Similarly, pushkarini (a tank where devotees take a holy dip before having darshan), “Kalyana Katta” (tonsuring hall), circular road and queue lines, and prasadam complex were all reconstructed in a record time, the authorities said.
Along with the temple complex, the entire town of Yadadri has now transformed into a tourist spot with the construction of tourist cottages, wide roads, landscaping all around the hillock and surroundings, shopping complexes, multi-level parking facilities and drinking water supply, officials said.
The main hillock where the cave temple is located along and eight other hills and lush green forests adjacent to it have been developed into a beautiful temple town, they added.
