New trust board for Simhachalam temple
Members of the new trust board at Simhachalam Devasthanam in Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam: Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Devasthanam, one of the ancient shrines of North Andhra, now has a team of new trust members.
With the tenure of the trust board members coming to a close on March 4, the government of Andhra Pradesh has issued a GO to this effect on Wednesday night.
Appointing the new trust board, the government has issued a GO comprising a 14-member board of trustees headed by P Ashok Gajapathi Raju, the hereditary trustee of the Devasthanam.
The new board of trustees will continue their term for a period of two years from the date of swearing-in. Similarly, the temple chief priest will continue to be an ex officio member of the board.
After a month-long gap, the government announced the new trust board members. Following which, their swearing-in ceremony was held under the supervision of the Devasthanam Executive Officer (EO) MV Surya Kala and in the presence of Assistant Commissioner of Endowments K Santhi.
For two long years, the former board members, who continued as the trustees, could not render their services much to Lord Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Even in the past, the 14-member committee has gone through several changes. Previously, Sanchaita Gajapathi Raju was appointed as the chairperson of the board. But following the cancellation order of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in June, 2021, she had to be replaced. Later, Ashok Gajapathi Raju took over the reins as chairman of the board.
The new board members include Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju as chairman, Suvvada Sridevi, P Padma, V Sai Nirmala, D Ramalakshmi, M Rajeswari, P Sridevi Varma, B Radha, Gantla Srini Babu, S Srinivasa Rao, P Krishnamurthy Patrudu, D Ramana, R Veera Venkata Santeesh, V Dinesh Raj and K Nageswara Rao as its members.
After swearing in, the new board members mentioned that their main focus will be on developing the temple on all parameters and enhancing the convenience of the devotees by improving the amenities at the Devasthanam.