30 cr to improve amenities at temple

Srikakulam: The world famous Sri Kurmanadha Swamy temple will be improved with an estimated cost of Rs 30 crore. This is only temple in India with Kurma Avatharam and it is second avathar of Lord Sri Maha Vishnu.

Normally in all temples, the temple shrine is located with its face anti-direction to the east. But in this temple, the deity is located anti-direction of west which is a peculiar. Due to lack of lodging and boarding facilities and poor transport, devotees rush is normal in all days except during festivals.

As a result, endowments department and the government had been neglecting the temple development all these years. During Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s visit in May 2017, he assured the development of three important temples, Arasavalli Sun God, Srikurmam and Sri Mukhalingam in the district.

As part of it, the endowment officials and tourism staff have identified all requirements in the temple and prepared a detailed project report (DPR) with Rs 30 crore. under the master plan, Swetha Puskarini will be beautified and pilgrim amenities like parking, lodging, boarding and widening of roads will be improved.

To provide lodging facility to devotees, rest rooms will be renovated with a cost of Rs 6.5 crore. “For implementation of master plan, no families will be displaced around the temple and there is no question of rehabilitation and resettlement raised and it is easy to us for quick completion of works,” endowment department assistant commissioner, DVV Prasad told The Hans India.

“Devotees from all important cities like Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar and Kolkata are visiting Srikurmam on all auspicious days and they need lodging and boarding facility to stay here. We are planning to provide the same,” said Srikurmam temple executive officer G Guru Nadha Rao to this newspaper.