The chief minister made special offerings to Lord Hanuman and later reviewed the development plan with officials and priests.
Published Feb 15, 2023 | 7:46 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 15, 2023 | 7:47 PM
Kondagattu Anjaneya Swamy Temple. (Official Website/jagtial.telangana.gov.in)
The Anjaneya Swamy abode at Kondagattu in the Mallyala mandal in the Jagtial district of Telangana is set to shine as brightly as the Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Yadadri.
Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, at a review of the development master plan of the temple at its premises, announced a fund of ₹500 crore, besides the already promised ₹100 crore, so that the temple would stand out as the most magnificent of all Anjaneya Swamy (Hanuman) temples in India.
The chief minister, who visited the temple after 25 years, made special offerings to Hanuman and later reviewed the development plan with officials and priests.
“The Kondagattu Anjaneya Swamy temple has to come up as an awe-inspiring spiritual centre for the world,” he said.
Architect Ananda Sai was with the chief minister at the time of the review.
He asked the officials to develop the temple so that it would not only cater to the requirements of the devotees but would have an aura of spirituality.
He wanted the officials to lay a proper ghat road to the top of the Kondagattu hillock, leaving no scope for any road accidents.
He also wanted Hanuman Jayanthi to be organised at Kondagattu in a way that India had never seen before.
The devotees who visit the temple have been requesting the government to instal a 108-foot-high idol of Anjaneya Swamy — an alternative name of Hanuman — that should be visible from miles away.
They have also been requesting cottages for their stay and better transportation to the temple, while expressing concern that they were experiencing difficulty in obtaining drinking water during festive seasons.
The development of the temple is expected to take place over an area of about 850 acres.
There would be enough room for the thousands of devotees who take and end their “deekshas” (initiation) simultaneously.
The chief minister said that there had to be a “pushkarini” (a water body, often used for religious purposes), parking facilities, an “anna dana satram” and Kalyana Katta — a place for tonsuring, like that of Tirumala temple, adding that the parking lot for the temple should be about 86 acres.
He made some suggestions to the officials on certain aspects of the temple in compliance with Agama Shastra — a manual for worship and the construction of temples in Hinduism.
The chief minister, after offering prayers, had a bird’s eye view of the temple from a helicopter.
Vastu sculptor and architect Anand Sai visited the temple on Sunday, 12 February, and discussed with the temple priests and officials the temple development master plan.
Anand Sai was the Vastu architect of the Yadadri temple as well.
According to him, the temple was in need of a second “prakara mantapam”, the “pushakrini”, good water and power supply, and facilities for the devotees who use the steps to reach the temple.
