Tirupati: Thondamanadu residents seek Lord's procession in village

Tirupati: The villagers of Thondamanadu on Wednesday met TTD Joint Executive Officer B Basanth Kumar seeking him to conduct the procession of the deity of Sri Venkateswara temple in their village.

The villagers have been demanding to take the procession of Lord which is being held during annual Brahmotsavam every year in February to their village but it was opposed by residents of other villages around the historic shrine of Lord Venkateswara.

TTD sources said that the JEO wanted the villagers to sort out the issue among themselves and expressed TTD's inability to intervene in the dispute arose between the villagers on taking up the Vahana Seva (procession of the deity) to Yeguva Veedhi, Diguva Veedhi and then to Thondamanadu.

The famed temple of Venkateswara, 7 km away from Srikalahasthi, was believed to be built by Thondaman Chakravarthy, the ruler of Thondamanadu in 10th century and the temple was brought under the management of TTD in 2008 responding to the demands of the villagers and public representatives, keeping in view of its historic importance and its mythological link with Lord Venkateswara, Tirumala. Later, TTD commenced the conduct of 9-day annual Brahmotsavam of the shrine after its renovation for three years. The temple is located in Kota locality though it is popularly known as Thondamanadu Venkateswara Swamy temple built by Thondaman Chakravarthy who was eulogised by saint poet Annamacharya in a Sankeerthana as an ardent devotees of Tirumala Venkateswara.

On February 22, Ankurarpanam was held for Brahmotsavam and the next day during Pedda sesha vahan procession, the residents of Yeguva Veedhi and Diguva Veedhi objected to taking the procession to Thondamanadu village about half km from the shrine, wanted the procession confined to Kota, Yeguva Veedhi and Diguva Veedhi near the temple.The tussle between the residents of two villages on extending the procession forced to stop the procession for some time on that day.

Later, the authorities decided to confine the procession only to four mada streets around the temple and stopped taking the procession to Yegu Veedhi and Digu Veedhi and also rejecting to extend it to up to Thondamanadu.Padamanabham, who led the delegation of about 50 men and women from Thondamandau after meeting JEO urged TTD to consider their demand favourably.