KCR to Make Kondagattu Spiritual Hub for Tourists

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao unveiled a massive plan on Wednesday to turn Kondagattu into a major pilgrimage site and allotted Rs 500 crore for the building of the 800-acre Sri Anjaneya Swamy temple there in the Jagtial district.

The Chief Minister stated that the State government was prepared to invest even Rs 1,000 crore to build the temple and its surrounds into a significant spiritual and tourism destination in the nation. This is in addition to the Rs 100 crore proposed in the State budget for 2023–2024. Chief Minister inspected the hills and surroundings and said he would take multiple trips to the temple till the reconstruction gets completed over the next three years. CM KCR instructed all departments to take that needed to be followed to renovate the temple completely in line with Agama Shastra. He gave instructions to staff to create a draft master plan for the temple's renovation that would include all the grandeur and facilities required to meet the temple's future expected increase of devotees.

The presiding deity or the sanctum sanctorum should not be disturbed during the renovation of the temple in line with Vaishnava norms, the Agama Shastras, and Vaastu, said KCR.

He also asked about a variety of amenities available to devotees, such as line-up areas, transportation options, temple entrances and exits, accommodation and boarding options, and other features. They were instructed to set up a water supply from the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme to satisfy the demands of the temple.

Anand Sai, the architect of the Yadadri temple, was given instructions to recruit sculptors for the Kondagattu temple renovation. As the renovation project was expected to take three years, it was proposed that Balalayam should built in accordance with Agama Shastra. Officials were responsible for locating funding for cottage construction and allocating land for cottage renovation.

Bhupal Reddy, the special secretary for the CMO, was given the responsibility by KCR to make plans for the Kondagattu reserve forest along the lines of the Bandipur reserve forest on the Mysuru-Ooty route. To reduce road accidents, the expansion of the ghat road is given major importance in the plan. Endowments officials were directed to publish books on the Sthala puranam (temple history) of Kondagattu.