Muslim devotee donates 16th century idol to TTD
According to sources, the Mumbai family had the idol in its procession for about 100 years.
Tirupati: A Muslim family based in Mumbai has donated a 16th century Panchaloha idol of Goddess Padmavathi Ammavaru which was in its possession to the famous TTD run S.V. Museum.
According to TTD Chief Museum Officer Col. Chandra Sekhar, the donor, Mr L. Rehman Sheikh, hailed from Greater Mumbai. “According to the certificate issued by the Archaeology Survey of India, the idol is 460 years old and is made of pure Panchaloha. The devotees approached senior officials to donate the idol. After verifying the certifications and facts, we took it into our museum on November 1. It will be displayed at the S.V. Museum in Tirumala and daily rituals will be performed,” he said.
According to sources, the Mumbai family had the idol in its procession for about 100 years.
The couple, who were performing daily rituals, were ageing and wanted to donate it to a responsible authority which would take good care of the idol.
After that, they approached a Mumbai-based Hindu organisation, which contacted TTD officials and processed the donation. The idol was donated to the S.V. Museum by L. Rehman Sheikh.