Stone laid for Vengamamba Dhyana Mandiram

Tirumala: TTD Trust Board Chairman Y V Subba Reddy on Friday laid foundation stone for the construction of Matrusri Tarigonda Vengamamba Dhyana Mandiram at Tirumala.

Vengamamba was a poet and staunch devotee of Lord Venkateswara in the 18th century and she left her native village Tarigonda in Chittoor district for Tirumala to worship her beloved Lord till her last breath.

Honouring her devotion to Sri Venkateswara Swamy, Muthyala Harathi which was offered by Vengamamba during Ekantha Seva before the closure of the shrine for the day, the TTD is continuing it in her name.

Speaking on the occasion, Subba Reddy said Matrusri Vengamamba was considered as one of the ardent devotees of Sri Venkateswara Swamy who had not only rendered Sankeertana Seva like Sri Tallapaka Annamacharya but also pioneered Annaprasadam at Tirumala.

"She used to meditate in the divine abode and attained salvation. With the largesse by the Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) A Ayodhya Rami Reddy, a Dhyana Mandiram will be constructed at a cost of Rs 5 crore in 1.5 acre area where the Samadhi of the poetess was located in Tirumala," the TTD chief said The Mandiram will be a befitting memorial to Vengamamba and nearly 350 devotees can sit in meditation in a spacious hall in the memorial in a serene environment.

Later the donor Ayodhya Rami Reddy expressed his gratitude to Venkateswara Swamy for providing an opportunity to make a contribution towards the construction of the Dhyana Mandiram at Tirumala and also thanked the TTD Chairman and other officials of the TTD.

Additional EO AV Dharma Reddy, JEOs Veerabrahmam, Sada Bhargavi, chief engineer Nageswara Rao and others were present.