Postal stamps on Srikakulam monuments, temples soon

Visakhapatnam: Minister of State for Communication and IT Dr Killi Kriparani said postal stamps on world famous Sun temple at Arasavilli, Vishnu temple of Srikurmam and Endala Mallikarjuna Swamy temple in Tekkali would be released on April 11 on the occasion of Telugu New Year Ugadi. The Arasavilli temple dates back to the seventh century constructed by Kalinga dynasty. The Sun god is worshipped in the State and tourists from all over the world visit the temple every year. The temple depicts rich cultural heritage of the region and the presiding deity Sri Suryanarayana Swamy is often called 'god of health' by the locals. The second stamp would be on Srikurmam located at Gara mandal in the district. It is the only temple in the country to have the incarnation of Srikurmanatha. The temple was built in 11 AD. Simhachalam Devasthanam adopted this temple. The other stamp would be on Ravi Valasa where the presiding deity Endala Mallikarjuna Swamy is worshipped on Maha Sivaratri and Kartika Mondays. It is believed 0that the lingam in the temple is growing by one inch every year. According to scripts, it was about one foot when it was first seen and has been growing eversince. Now the height of the lingam is 12 feet. With the release of these three stamps, Srikakulam district will get due recognition in the international map, the minister said. The Minister showered many sops for her constituency of Srikakulam. Announcing them at a press conference here on Thursday, she said the district would have National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology Centre, estimated to cost around Rs 50 crore. She said the Center would impart training to youth in the field of information technology by providing short-term and long-term courses and also create awareness among the masses about IT. Till an own building was completed, the Centre would run in a rented building in the town, she added. The other ambitious project is Rajiv Gandhi ICT project for rural schools in Srikakulam district which would cost Rs 30 crore. Srikakulam would be second in the country after Ajmer in Rajasthan. The project under Education and Research work would be launched next month, she said. She said under the project 220 high schools and colleges in the district would get state-of-the-art ICT infrastructure free of cost. It will enhance the learning capabilities of the students using technology and applications like e-learning. The minister said 10 more software technology parks were coming up in the country of which one would be located in Srikakulam district. A rural business process outsourcing unit would be set up in Amadalavalasa with the help of Infosys and rural offshore company. The 100 seater BPO would be completed in another six months, she added.