Vowing to safeguard Lord Venkateswara Swamy’s assets in the country and across the world, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu declared that people working in TTD should be Hindus. Same time he mentioned that non-Hindus currently working in the premises will be given opportunities elsewhere.
“People from other religions will not be there in the worship places of Christians and Muslims. Religious places of a particular religion will only have people belonging to that particular religion,” Naidu said talking to media after he visited the temple and offered prayers with his family.
Naidu who is part of the NDA alliance also said that Lord Venkateswara Swamy temples will be built overseas where Hindus are in large numbers. The move to transfer non-Hindu staff from Tirupati Temple is likely earn the wrath of the Congress. “We have resolved to build Venkateswara Temples in every State capital across India. To achieve this, we will send letters to all chief ministers. Additionally we will establish Venkateswara temples in regions worldwide where there is a significant Hindu population,” said Naidu.
Lord Venkateswara, another name of Vishnu, is rated as the richest Indian God as well as the second richest God in the world. It has assets to the tune of `2.5 Lakh Crore in various forms. There are days when the temple hundi records offerings worth more than `2.5 Crore. The temple boasts of a university, hospital, many schools, veda patasalas and even a satellite TV channel (Sre Venkateswara Bhakti Channel) airing the live sevas and poojas. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, headed by an IAS officer appointed by the State Government administers the temple. Various Hindu organisations like VHP have been calling for the liberation of the temple from the shackles of the Government and handing over the administration to the devotees.
Vedic scholar Parappanangadi Unnikrishnan Panicker, who has held Deva Prasnam at Tirupati Venkateswara Temple twice in the past welcomed the move to establish such temples across the world. “The deity at Tirupati has special poojas as mandated by Agama sasthra. If this is replicated all over, the world will become a much better place to live,” said Unnikrishnan Panicker.
