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CM KCR inaugurates Yadadri temple amid Vedic chanting
The chief minister, along with his wife Shobha, was the first devotee to perform the puja to the presiding deities inside the cave, and receive the holy water from the priests.
Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday inaugurated the renovated ancient cave shrine of Lord Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy at Yadadri, about 70-km away from Hyderabad, amidst chanting of Vedic hymns.
The sanctum sanctorum of the lion god located in a cave atop Yadadgirigutta in Yadadri Bhongir district was reopened after a gap of six years. The chief minister, along with his wife Shobha, was the first devotee to perform the puja to the presiding deities inside the cave, and receive the holy water from the priests.
KCR, as the chief minister is called, also performed the puja at the golden Dwajasthabham (flag post) installed at the temple. His cabinet colleagues, who were entrusted with various duties, also took part in different rituals at different locations inside the temple complex. The temple was thrown open to the devotees after 3 pm.
Earlier, the chief minister performed ‘Maha Kumbha Samprokshana’ (anointment of the temple domes with holy waters collected from different rivers of the state). The ritual began with the conclusion of the homam at 9 am amid chanting of hymns by 92 rithwiks (priests reading out Vedas).
A Shobhayatra of the presiding deities was taken out from the Balayalam (makeshift temple) to the Sanctorum, following which special puja was performed to the deities. The chief minister himself carried the palanquin carrying the presiding deities.
KCR has been vocal about wanting the inaugural event to be a grand affair. In September 2021, he went to New Delhi to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi and requested him to inaugurate the temple. He also wanted to hold a week-long Maha Sudershana Homam in a 100-acre sprawling area at Yadadri, for which he proposed to invite Hindu religious seers from all mutts, besides chief ministers and many other political bigwigs from across the country.
But with a changed political scenario in the state and KCR adopting an aggressive posture against the Narendra Modi government, he dropped all the programmes and restricted them to a simple Vedic ritual.
A LONG-CHERISHED DREAM
Soon after taking over as the first chief minister, KCR proposed to develop the Yadadri temple on the lines of Lord Venkateshwara Swamy temple, one of the richest temples in the country located in the Chittoor district in the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.
He proposed that the temple on the picturesque Yadagirigutta hillock be given a complete makeover to match the Tirumala temple in its richness and grandeur, along with the development of the entire area on the lines of the temple town of Tirupati, at a cost of ₹1800 crore.
In February 2015, the Telangana government created a Yadagirigutta Temple Development Authority (YTDA) for the development of the temple and its surroundings. Within the next six months, the master plan for Yadadri was prepared. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple was closed on April 21, 2016, and a temporary temple called “Balalayam” was constructed, where all the pujas and rituals were being conducted all these days.
According to YTDA chief executive officer G Kishan Rao, the remodelling of the ancient cave temple was done as per the Agama, Vasthu, Vaikhanasa and Pancharatra Shastras. “The uniqueness of the temple is that it is reconstructed without using cement, concrete or bricks, but only with Krishnashila (black granite) used by Kakatiya emperors of Telangana for the temple architecture. It can remain intact for another 10-11 centuries,” Kishan Rao said.
Hundreds of sculptors and artisans from various parts of the state strived day and night to chisel the sculptures for the Vaishnavaite temple, while civil engineers and civic officials raced against the time to complete the necessary civic infrastructure to provide all the amenities for the pilgrims.
The temple, which was originally confined to less than half-an-acre area initially, was remodelled into a sprawling 14.5-acre temple complex, consisting of seven temple domes, including a 100-foot main dome. The inner and outer prakarams (compound walls), various types of stone-carved pillars, affiliated temples, sculptures of various gods and goddesses and Alwars (Vaishnavaite preachers) were built over the last four years.
Similarly, works on pushkarni (tank where devotees take a holy dip before having darshan), Kalyana Katta (tonsuing hall), circular road and queue lines, prasadam complex were also completed in a record time.
Along with the temple complex, the entire town of Yadadri has now transformed into a beautiful 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.
The main hillock where the cave temple is located and eight other hills and lush-green forests adjacent to it has been developed into a beautiful temple town.
