Tirumala: Sri Anandashram Prefect Srinivasananda Saraswati has called for the seizure of illegally constructed buildings under Visakha Sarada Peetha in Tirumala, where the Kaliyuga deity Sri Venkateswara Swami resides. Speaking at a press conference organized by the Andhra Pradesh Sadhu Parishad at the Tirupati Press Club on Saturday, he raised serious concerns about these constructions.
Saraswati alleged that an 80-foot area of the canal was encroached upon, with buildings constructed on the crossing after obtaining dubious permissions. He warned that future floods could direct all water into the Sharada Peetha, endangering devotees’ lives. He urged authorities to act swiftly against adulterated food and illegal constructions in Tirumala.
Saraswati also criticized mathas like Visakha Sharada Peetha for engaging in commercial activities instead of providing food, accommodation, and facilitating yagnas for devotees, as originally intended.
In response to the controversy, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) clarified in a statement on Saturday that 5,000 square feet of land were leased to Visakha Sarada Peetha for building a math in Tirumala. The TTD acknowledged that an additional 4,817 square feet were used without permission, an issue raised with the government in 2019 and subsequently regularized. The TTD emphasized that the legality of these constructions falls under the jurisdiction of the AP High Court.
