Controversies haunt Tirupati temple board

Hyderabad, Aug 18: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) is facing serious allegations over irregularities in sale of tickets for paid rituals and missing antique jewellery, offered to Lord Venkateshwara.

Recently Chandrababu Naidu held a massive sit-in in front of the administrative building of the TTD at Tirupati, demanding that the government to constitute a new board.

The Telugu Desam Chief alleged that TTD Board Chairman D K Adikesavulu Naidu is a liquor baron and an atheist who had scant regard for the sentiments of the devotees.

In addition, there have been allegations that PAs of some of the TTD Board members took advantage of the darshan tickets available under personal quota of the members and sold them in the black market.

Another controversy sparked off over allegedly missing ornaments offered to the Lord by Vijayanagara emperor Sri Krishnadevaraya about 500 years ago.

However, I Y R Krishna Rao, TTD Executive officer said that all the ornaments offered to the temple are intact and some ornaments were melted in the 1950s for the gold-plating of the temple tower.

Responding to the allegations against the TTD, state Endowments Minister Gade Venkata Reddy said the government would take prompt action against anyone found guilty.

OneIndia News