TTD Venkateswara Temple becomes the new pilgrimage destination in Vizag

Along with Lord Narasimha atop Simhachalam, Lord Venkateswara joins the City of Destiny atop Rushikonda in Vizag. The complex, with a beach-facing picturesque view, is open for devotees from 24 March 2022. Chief Minister YJ Jagan Mohan Reddy inaugurated Tirumala Tirupati Devastanam (TTD) Temple in Vizag on 23 March 2022. Rituals were performed to mark the inauguration yesterday of this temple spread across 10 acres of land.

At 5:30 a.m in the morning, the series of rituals started with the Suprabhatam which was followed by the Kumbharadhaana, the Nivedana, the Homam, and then finally the Maha Purnahuti which ended at 8 a.m. In the evening, Srinivasa Kalyanam was performed.

The Maha Kumbhabhishekam fete commencing from 18 March 2022 is a five-day fete. On the day of the inauguration, Swarupananda Saraswathi Swamy of Visakha Sarada Peetham, Jr. Pontiff Swatmananda Saraswathi Swamy, Minister Avanti Srinivasa Rao, TTD Chairman YV Subba Reddy, Board Members P Ashok Kumar, Malladi Krishna Rao, JEOs Sada Bhargavi, Veerabrahmam, Visakhapatnam District Collector Mallikarjuna Rao and others graced the occasion. The temple staff included Srivari temple Chief Priest Venugopala Deekshitulu, Kiran Deekshitulu, SV Higher Vedic Studies Project officer Dr Vibhishana Sharma, and Agama Advisor Vedantam Vishnubhattacharyulu.

The temple also has a statue of Lord Hanuman which has been placed in front of the Lord Venkateswara statue similar to the one in Tirupati. Two temples have been constructed for Goddesses Bhoodevi and Sridevi beside the main temple. All the elements used for the deities, including Srivaari Paadalu, were carved at the SV Institute of Traditional Sculpture and Architecture (SVITSA) in Tirupati.

The TTD Vizag temple located near Rushikonda also has a prayer hall with a capacity to accommodate 150 people, a function hall for the purpose of conducting marriages, and for devotees to take rest also includes a dining space.  The temple which is located on the hillock has a 500-meter ghat road for ease of vehicles to reach the temple.

The temple will be thronged by devotees from today. This 28-crore project will prove to be a major tourist attraction in the city. With Ugadi, the Telugu New Year coming up, devotees of Vizag now do not have to travel all the way to Tirupati.

Comment below and let us know if you have visited the much-awaited Tirumala Tirupati Devastanam (TTD) Temple atop Rushikonda in Vizag.