Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the world's richest and largest Hindu temple trust, is preparing to inaugurate its first mega Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple in Mumbai. The temple, likely to be unveiled in July, has been constructed at a cost of ₹90 crore on a sprawling 10-acre plot in Ulwe, Navi Mumbai, facing the Arabian Sea.
Temple Features
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. Pilgrim amenities and facilities for priests and temple staff have been set up. The temple's kitchen and Ugranam storage points are designed akin to those at Tirumala.
Future Plans
Following the Maha Kumbhabhishekam ceremony, likely scheduled for July, TTD plans to build a sacred temple tank called 'Pushkarini', an Alankara Mandapam, and a Vahana Mandapam.
TTD chairman BR Naidu said the trust had set up an information centre with a small temple at Bandra, a western suburb in Mumbai, 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 told TOI.
Global and National Expansion
TTD administers the affairs of the Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple at Tirumala and over 60 temples across more than 10 Indian states. The trust 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 India.
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 governments of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.
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.
