President unveils free meal complex at Tirumala

Tirupati, Jul 7: A free meal complex that can cater to about 75,000 devotees a day was today (Jul 7) inaugurated by President Pratibha Devisingh Patil near the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala here.

The building has four huge dining halls with a seating capacity of 1,000 each, temple sources told PTI. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the temple, has incurred a cost of Rs 33 crore in its construction, they said.

Patil, her husband Devisingh Ramsingh Shekhawat and other family members also offered prayers to Lord Venkateswara on the occasion of her 46th wedding anniversary.

She arrived here yesterday and has been accompanied by Andhra Pradesh Governor E S L Narasimhan, Chief Minister N Kirankumar Reddy and PRP Chief K Chiranjeevi throughout the trip.

This is her second visit to the shrine, which she had earlier visited on July 7, 2008 when she launched TTD-run Sri Venkateswara Bhakthi television channel. A thick blanket of security was put in place at Tirumala and in Tirupati for the tour.

PTI