Feeding the hungry

Feeding the poor and hungry is considered work of good in all religions. Sri Kanyaka Parameswari Anna Satram, a charitable trust located at Brahmin Street, One Town is a pioneer in feeding the pilgrims irrespective of their caste or creed.

About 600 to 800 pilgrims are being fed free of cost every day. Not only the common man but even Ministers and other VIPs make a beeline to taste the annadanam offered at the place.

Speaking to the Hans India on Wednesday, Sri Kanyaka Parameswari Anna Satram committee president Bayana Hareswara Rao said that the Hindu scriptures say, there is no better puja and ritual than feeding a hungry living being and this alone can burn all karma from previous lifetimes and set us free.

The trust was founded by Bayana Veera Raghava Rao in 1871 with a motto to provide boarding and lodging free for the pilgrims who come here to have the darshan of Goddess Kankadurga, atop Indrakeeladri Hill from all over the country.

allthough it begun under a tree with an asbestos roof, he says, the consecration of the anna satram begins as funds came in from various sources including the Arya Vysya Community.

Initially the trust started free feeding in 1945, when fewer pilgrims made the climb to Indrakeeladri. From then on, there was no looking back for the prestigious institution, which, at present, feeds more than 600 to 800 devotees daily.

On festive occasions, the number nearly doubles. Many households and philanthropists will donate rice, vegetables and other materials to prepare food for the devotees. Some commercial establishments also contribute gas cylinders and vessels to the trust, he said.

Now, the trust has spread its wings and renovated the satram building with funds sponsored by the philanthropists. Spread over 1,000 square feet, the new building consists of 48 rooms out of which 36 are air conditioned and the rest 12 are non-air-conditioned, which will be thrown to the public at a nominal price, he says.

Apart from providing the meals to the devotees in the afternoon, trust is also planning to provide tiffin for the pilgrims during the evening. Plans are afoot by the trust to serve food to at least 3,000 to 4,000 pilgrims a day, visiting the city for Krishna Pushkaralu, says Sri Kanyaka Parameswari Anna Satram committee president Bayana Hareswara Rao.