TTD extends Ayushmanbhava to all Vedic scholars March 10, 2011 11:53
The TTD administration today announced that the health insurance scheme of Ayushmanbhava would be extended to all Veda Parayanadars (those who recite Vedas) across the country. Speaking as the chief guest at the Akhanda Bharat Veda Parayanadars’ summit at the Asthanana Mantapam in Tirumala, Executive Officer of the TTD Mr IYR Krishna Rao said all those who aimed to get benefit from the unique health insurance scheme would be provided assistance from the specially constituted fund under the Higher Vedic Department. The summit was attended by nearly 1000 Veda Parayanadars from four corners of the country. The EO also announced that the spouses of the Veda Parayanadars would also be given a honorarium or pension. These pension benefits will be passed down to their widows after the death of the Veda Parayanadars for a life time, he said. He asked the teachers to take the initiative to ensure that the Vedic students would also take up the study of contemporary subjects like English or computers at the Veda Patasalas at Chilukuru, Manthani and Vijayanagaram. He directed the teachers to visit the Sri Venkateswara Vedic University to upgrade their skills. Krishna Rao also promised to conduct the summits of Veda Parayanadars once in three months henceforth.
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Committee would continue till the new board August 26, 2010 10:55
Speaking to mediapersons here, Mr Rosaiah, who arrived on a short visit to the temple town, said, ''we will take decision to constitute a new trust board for TTD only after seeing the functioning of the three-member Specified Authority Committee appointed last night in the place of the TTD's non-official Trust Board whose term expired yesterday.'' The committee would continue till the new board was constituted, he added.The Specified Authority Committee, with senior IAS Officer Dr J Satyanarayana (Special Chief Secretary, Medical and Health) as its Chairman and TTD Executive Officer I Y R Krishna Rao and Andhra Pradesh Industrial Development Corporation (APIDC) Managing Director V Nagireddy as its two members, was constituted by the government last night in the wake of the unprecedented allegations of irregularities and misappropriation of funds in the TTD leveled by the opposition party leaders and also from Congress leaders and Hindu organisations demanding cleansing of the TTD administration and abolishing TTD Trust Board.The Chief Minister said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would lay the foundation for BHEL Power Equipment Plant at Mannavaram in Srikalahsti Assembly constituency in Chittoor district and also for International Airport at Tirupati on August 31.The Prime Minister would also launch unique identity cards scheme, first time in the country, at Kothapalyam, a village, located in Renigunta Mandal of Chittoor district, where data collection from each citizen was going on for the scheme.The village had been selected for the soft-launch of the pilot project that envisages generation of unique identity for every citizen in the form of a 12-digit AADHAAR number.
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52 TTD employees sent home June 15, 2010 10:36
Services of 52 special appointees who crossed 60 years of age were terminated by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Monday as per the High court orders.The AP High Court had directed the TTD last month not to entertain the services of retired personnel. The 52 personnel, whose services were terminated, were working in various wings and included Tirumala temple OSD, Mr P. Seshadri, director of the TTD’s employees training centre, Mr Bhuman Subramanyam and senior functionaries Mr Kamisetty Srinivasulu and Mr Raghavacharyulu. Meanwhile, the Tirumala chief priest Mr Ramana Dikshitulu approached the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, in Hyderabad Monday and requested him to terminate the services of the special officer, Mr A.V. Dharma Reddy complaining that he was rude to archakas working in the temple.Sources say that the cold war between Mr Ramana Dikshitulu and Mr Dharma Reddy peaked after things turned against Mr P. Seshadri. A section of priests and officials found fault with Mr Dikshitulu for directly approaching the CM without taking his grievance to the EO.
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A ticket scam in the popular shrine August 31, 2010 09:44
A.V. Dharma Reddy, Special Officer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), was shifted by the Andhra Pradesh Government on Monday in the wake of an alleged suicide by a temple employee and a ticket scam in the popular shrine.Reddy’s transfer came within hours after a three—member TTD Specified Authority comprising senior IAS officers, constituted by the state government to run the TTD in the wake of allegations of irregularities at the hill temple of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala, assumed charge today.Reddy, an Indian Defence Estate Service (IDES) officer, has now been posted as Secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Information Commission in Hyderabad, said a Government Order issued by state Chief Secretary S V Prasad.The employees’ unions of the TTD have been demanding the transfer of Reddy in the last few days following the alleged suicide of Suresh, a TTD employee. The union leaders alleged that Suresh committed suicide unable to bear the harassment by Reddy.Alleging that Reddy was involved in the ‘Arjita Seva’ ticket scam and also the suicide of Suresh, the employees’ union leaders demanded that the Special Officer be repatriated to his parent department. Reddy, however, denied the allegations and insisted he had nothing to do with the suicide of Suresh.In Tirupati, J Satyanarayana, Special Chief Secretary, Medical and Health took oath as Chairman while I Y R Krishna Rao, TTD Executive Officer and V Nagireddy, Managing Director of AP Industrial Development Corporation, took oath as members of the Specified Authority, TTD sources said.The government had constituted the authority in the wake of several allegations of irregularities, especially the much publicized multi—crore rituals tickets scam. The authority was constituted on August 24, the day when the term of the TTD Board, headed by D K Adikesavulu Naidu ended.
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Addala Mandapam collapses June 12, 2010 10:10
The Addala Mandapam (mirror mandapam) of Sri Kalyana Venkateswara Swamy temple at Punganur town in Chittor district, constructed in the 18th century by the erstwhile Punganur zamindars collapsed Friday due to heavy rains. The Mandapam was mostly used to celebrate the Kalyanotsanavam (Lord’s celestial marriage) of Sri Venkateswara Swamy. Local people said that cracks developed in the structure some ten years ago and 9 years back, the authorities took up repair work of the Mandapam but the work was stopped for some unknown reasons. The endowments officials said that the heavy rains that lashed the town in last two days had no impact on the main temple and the structure was strong. The minister for forests and Punganur MLA, Dr P. Ramachandra Reddy, who rushed to the spot, said the collapsed structure would be reconstructed at the earliest.Meanwhile , in another incident, the Dwajasthamba Peetam in Sri Malleswara Swamy temple at Uravakonda in Anantapur district, which had developed cracks a few months ago, collapsed on Friday.
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Dress code awakening starts June 05, 2010 16:16
The TTD management has started an awakening programme on the dress code from Saturday. The management has appointed some volunteers to explain things to the devotees on the Tirumala Hills. The temple EO Mr Krishna Rao told journalists at Tirumala Saturday morning that those devotees who visit the Tirumala temple wearing knickers and T shirts would not be allowed to have darshan. This rule will apply to both male and female devotees, he said.The EO said that some other programmes also would be taken up to create awakening on the subject. Good publicity will be given on this to the devotees through the TTD channel, he disclosed. The TTD management is of the view that there would be problems and resistance from the devotees if the dress code is implemented immediately without first providing publicity to it.
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Dress Code for Srivari Darshanam June 04, 2010 16:14
TTD authorities have imposed a dress code for devotees visiting the Seven Hills Lord Sri Venkateswara with immediate effect. Henceforth, devotees wearing short dresses will not be allowed for darshan.The TTD management has taken this decision following several complaints from devotees in Dial –your- EO programme, according to the Executive Officer Krishna Rao.He told newspersons at Tirupathi Friday that the management would create awareness on dress code for two months initially and then streamline the dress code rules. The management is committed to implement it very strictly.It would be highly appreciable if the devotees visit the lord wearing traditional dresses, the EO said adding that Angapradikshanam making devotees would be rewarded with a Rs.10 worth free laddu prasadam by the management.Mr Krishna Rao said: “An E-darshan counter will be launched before this month end. If necessary, we will dispense with the Maha Laghu Darshanam system”.
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Temple Architecture June 01, 2010 15:22
The ancient Tirupati temple follows the Dravidian style of architecture. The gopuram of this temple is its highlight. The 'Vimana' or Cupola, named the "the Ananda Nilayam" is placed over the sanctum sanctorum. It completely veiled with gold plate. There are three 'Prakarams' or enclosures in the temple, among them the outermost enclosure boasts of the 'Dhvajastambha' or the banner post. Apart form these, other highlights of the temple are the statues of Vijayanagara king, Krishnadevaraya and his spouse. There is also an idol of Todarmal, the minister of Akbar.The image of the temple deity represents both Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. Lord Vishnu is considered as the preserve whereas the Lord Shiva is considered as the destroyer in Hindu religion. A Day At Tirupati Tirumala: A day at Tirupati Tirumala temple begins with 'Suprabhatam' (awakening the Lord) as early as three in the morning. The day ends with the 'Ekanta Seva' ( putting the Lord to sleep) at around 1 O'clock in the night. Prayers are offered daily, weekly and periodically in the form of 'Sevas' and 'Utsavams' to the Lord. Devotees who want to pay homage to the Lord can do it by giving a small amount in return of the Sevas or Utsavams done on their name. The gifts and donations offered to the deity, is known as the 'Hundi'. It is the main source of income of the Temple. Festivals: Tirupati Tirumala Balaji Temple celebrates many festivals but the annual festival of 'Brahmotsavam' is particularly important. This festival is celebrated extravagantly for nine days in the month of September every year. The Garudostavam and Rathotavam rituals take place on the fifth and sixth day of the festival. Thus, attracting flocks of tourists and devotees to the temple.
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A Sacred Monumen June 01, 2010 15:21
Considered as the most sacred and the richest temple in the world, Tirupati temple is situated in the town of Tirupati. It is located 67-km away from Chittoor in Chittoor district of southern Andhra Pradesh. Also known as Tirupati Balaji Temple, it is a major pilgrimage center of south India. Besides, Tirupati also focous on other attraction of this place, the ancient and famous shrine of Sri Venkateswara, the Lord of Seven Hills are worth a viist. The temple is located on a hill at Tirumala. It is a conglomeration of seven hills known as Seshachalam or Venkatachalam having an height of 853m (2,800ft.) above the sea level. The temple boasts of a vibrant and colorful culture also speaking volumes about its grand past. It is an important pilgrimage center, where devotees stand for long hours waiting to get a glance of the presiding deity. Highlight of The Temple: The temple is the most popular and most visited temples in India. Being situated on a hill of Tirumala, it is climbed up by pilgrims, which is not an easy task. Sri Venkataswara temple or the Tirupati temple is the richest temple in India. It is said that people drop bags of diamonds at the feet of Sri Venkataswara. Devotees flock this temple in huge numbers. In fact there are two lines to enter the temple, one is a free line, where you don' t pay anything to get a view of the deity. But, for the second line, which takes less time to get a glance of the deity, you have to pay a minimum amount of Rs. 50.
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Lord Tirumala June 01, 2010 15:19
The venkatam hill is believed to be a part of the celestial mount meru brought to the earth from vaikuntam by garuda (Lord's vehicle),say the puranas.The Hills are said to be a manifestation of Adi Sesha (the cosmic serpent).The Seven hills of the Tirumala are the said to represent the Seven hoods of Adi Sesha. Many Alvars, Vaishnavacharyas and Saints have praised the Tirumala Hill with great devotion. Tirumala Mambi, a descendent of the great ascetic Narada, spent his whole life in serving the Lord. References to the tirumala also found in several of Puranas. Tirumala is one of the 108 sacred shrines of the Sri Vaishanava tradition. According to the Puranas, Lord Vishnu stayed on the earth for some time in the Avatar of Swetha Varaham and rose out of pushkarini as Swayambhuva. His spouse Lakshmi Devi appeared in Thirucharnur. This Swwtha Varaha Avatharam was installed in the temple situated to the west of Swamy Pushkarni. The great religious leader Ramanujacharya visited this shrine on a pilgrimage and systematised the process of worship in accordance with the SriVaishnava that continues to date.
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SBH gold coins on sale May 05, 2011 16:31
Ahead of the ‘Akshaya Tritiya' festival, the State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH), Tirupati regional office, has started selling gold coins through 49 branches in Chittoor, Prakasam, Nellore and Kadapa dists. Certified to be 999.9 p.c. pure with international standards, they are available in denominations of 2, 4, 8 and 10 grams, with the images of Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Ganapati, Charminar.
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24,660 applications for SVURPGCET-2011 May 07, 2011 13:40
As many as 24,660 applications were received by Sri Venkateswara University's Directorate of Admissions against the overall number of seats of 14,468, for the prestigious SVU Regional Post Graduate Common Entrance Test (SVURPGCET-2011).This is the single point entry for admission into PG courses in Sri Venkateswara, Sri Padmavathi Mahila (both Tirupati), Vikrama Simhapuri (Nellore), Rayalaseema (Kurnool), Yogi Vemana (Kadapa) and Sri Krishna Devaraya (Anantapur) universities in southern Andhra Pradesh.The highest number of applications received was for chemistry at 3,739, followed by commerce (3,449), education (2,613) and mathematics (1,853). Entrance tests will be conducted from May 20 to 28.While the test for most subjects will be held at Tirupati only, the same for the popular ones with high number of takers will be conducted simultaneously at Tirupati, Nellore, Kadapa, Kurnool and Anantapur.According to SVU Director of Admissions and convener of SVURPGCET-2011 K.V.S. Sarma, the hall tickets will be dispatched from May 10, while the candidates also have the option of downloading the same from the website www.svurpgcet.org from May 12 onwards. For further details, contact 0877 – 224 8589 and 228 9346.No written testMeanwhile, students applying for courses like anthropology, aquaculture, business economics, environmental science, geography, Hindi, South-East Asian Pacific studies, hydrogeology, performing arts, philosophy, population studies, Sanskrit, sociology, Tamil, Urdu, virology, women's studies and material science & nanotechnology need not write any entrance test.“Admission into these courses will be made directly based on the percentage marks obtained in the qualifying exams, duly following the rule of reservation”, Prof. Sarma explained. The date of counselling for these subjects will be intimated later.
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