Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams’ first mega temple in Mumbai likely to open in July

Tirupati: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the world’s richest and biggest Hindu temple trust, is gearing up for the inauguration of its first mega Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple in Mumbai.Likely to be unveiled in July, the temple has been built at a cost of ₹90 crore in a sprawling 10-acre plot at Ulwe in Navi Mumbai, facing the Arabian Sea. The temple complex houses the sanctum sanctorum of Lord Balaji and two sub-shrines dedicated to his consorts Goddess Padmavathi Ammavaru and Goddess Aandal Goda Devi.TTD has also established four mada streets encircling the Navi Mumbai temple, similar to those at Tirumala, and has set up pilgrim amenities and facilities for priests and temple staff. The temple’s kitchen and the Ugranam storage points have also been designed akin to the facilities at Tirumala.As part of its expansion plans post the Maha Kumbhabhishekam ceremony, likely to be scheduled for July, the Tirupati trust plans to set up a sacred temple tank, 'Pushkarini’, an Alankara Mandapam and a Vahana Mandapam.Speaking to TOI, TTD chairman BR Naidu said the trust had set up an information centre with a small temple at Bandra, a western suburb in Mumbai, several decades ago. “Following numerous requests from devotees across Maharashtra, the trust conceived and executed the idea of constructing a mega temple dedicated to Lord Venkateswara near Navi Mumbai with donors’ support, which is likely to be inaugurated sometime in July,” Naidu said.TTD’s global and national footprintTTD, which administers the affairs of the Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple at Tirumala and over 60 temples across more than 10 Indian states, is now focused on implementing chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s vision to increase its footprint and propagate Hindu Sanatana Dharma by establishing at least one replica of the Tirumala temple in every state and union territory in the country.TTD will soon begin constructing a replica of the Tirumala temple in Assam, the first TTD temple in the northeastern region, on 10 acres. New TTD temples are also being planned at Coimbatore, Belagavi, and Patna. Consultations are underway with the state govts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka for the same.According to the TTD chairman, “The Tirupati trust recently accorded approvals for the establishment of temples abroad as well, and a special committee has been constituted to draft the necessary policy documents.”The trust will spend nearly ₹2,500 crore from the corpus of the Sri Venkateswara Alayala Nirmanam trust to spearhead this expansion, along with building 5,000-odd small temples and Bhajan Mandirs across Andhra Pradesh.