Ever since the formation of Telangana state three years ago, the wish of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) has been to have a divine abode on a par with Balaji temple in Tirumala which is in Andhra Pradesh. Luckily, he is able to keep Bhadrachalam (in Khammam district), where the famous and historic Sri Rama temple is located on the banks of Godavari River, despite AP efforts to make it part of Andhra.
To match the grandeur and popularity of the Lord of Seven Hills, KCR has decided to develop the abode of Lord LakshmiNarasimha Swamy in Yadagirigutta, just not an important pilgrim centre in the state but as a spiritual-cultural hub. A beginning was made in March 2015 with the renaming of Yadagirigutta as Yadadri by Chinna JeeyarSwamy who is now de facto official priest of Telangana government. To make the presiding deity Narasimha Swamy as the Lord of Nine Hills, eight adjoining hillocks have been included in the core area that comprises the main temple, cottages and buildings for pilgrims’ stay, hotels and restaurants, shopping complexes for visitors and a huge bus and taxi terminal.
The TRS government has sanctioned Rs 100 crores to develop Yadadri and a Master Plan has been prepared envisaging transformation of a small temple town into a bustling spiritual-educational-cultural hub of the state.
In March this year, IT Minister KT Rama Rao had told the state Assembly that the government would strive to make Yadadri a prominent religious and spiritual centre of Telangana and “temple works are progressing at a brisk pace.” He also said steps would be taken to ensure that pilgrims would not face any inconvenience or difficulty as far as food and accommodation are concerned. Besides AC and non-AC rest rooms, a dining hall to serve free food to 5,000 people at a time and other facilities are being constructed.
The development plan is so massive that an authority to execute the project in two phases has been established. Known as Yadadri Temple Development Authority (YTDA), its jurisdiction extends to several villages covering an area of 104 square kilometers. To facilitate easy movement, all important places from within the state and outside would be connected to Yadadri by highways. Even extension of Hyderabad Metro is being considered.
While devotees welcome the KCR initiative, it also draws flak from many quarters. One question being repeatedly raised is allotment of government funds for temple development and transforming a quiet town into a bustling tourist-cum-pilgrim centre. Traditionalists fear that the sanctity of ancient temple will be lost once it becomes a commercial hub. Moreover, they think, one can’t enhance the faith by merely making a place more attractive and by providing modern facilities.
The collateral effects of development in the area are being felt now. Already, the land prices have gone up steeply and realtors are trying to cash in on expected tourist-pilgrim boom. Though space for ample green cover is incorporated in the master plan, with buildings all around and a surge of visitors, Lord Lakshmi Narasimha could well be sitting in his cave amidst a concrete jungle.
