Work on `33.22 crore temple by Tirumala trust begins in Jammu
The work on a magnificent temple and allied infrastructures, to be built by Andhra Pradeshbased Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) in Jammu and Kashmir’s winter capital Jammu, formally began on Sunday.
J&K lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha, who unveiled the plaque marking the laying of the foundation stone and attended the bhumi pujan ceremony, said, “It is a historic and proud day for J&K.”
He asserted that besides being a centre of faith and spirituality, the temple “will open up opportunities across sectors in Jammu, giving a major push to religious and pilgrimage tourism while boosting the economy of the region.”
About 20 months after the Centre stripped J&K of its special status by repealing Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution and also split it up into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh, J&K’s administrative council under Mr Sinha had, in April this year, allotted 496 kanals and 17 marlas (62 acres) of land to TTD for building the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple at Majeen on the peripheries of Jammu city.
The TTD has been allotted this land on lease basis for a period of 40 years.
Reiterating that the magnificent divine temple, on its completion, will be a centre of faith as well as a destination of spirituality, Mr Sinha said that the TTD board will establish a Gurukul and Veda Pathashala within the complex to promote Sanskrit and the ancient culture of Vedic teachings and learning.
“The board has also agreed to set up centres of excellence in the field of healthcare on the lines of its excellence centres in Andhra Pradesh,” he added.
J&K’S L-G, Manoj Sinha, who unveiled the plaque marking the laying of foundation stone and attended the bhumi pujan ceremony said, ‘It is a historic and proud day for J&K’.