Golden temple work begins
Iskcon temple construction making swift progress.
AMARAVATI: It’s South India’s first golden temple that the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) is building near the historical spot, Kondaveedu, in Guntur district, and it is making swift progress, with the construction of 108 mandaps in the South Indian and Rajasthani architectural style and work on the Swarna Hamsa (golden swan) having begun. This constitutes phase-1 of the edifice, which has been possible due to contributions from devotees and the public. The golden temple, when it is built, will be yet another feather in the state’s cap, and likely to turn the spot into an international tourist centre.
The rare idol of Venna-mudda (butter) Krishna was found during excavations at the foot of the Kondaveedu hill. Acco-rding to archaeologists and historians, the butter Krishna idol was only one of its kind in the Asian continent, built by Vijayanagara king, Kri-shnadevaraya. After esta-blishing the idol, Iskcon decided to revive the sanctity of the place by constructing the golden temple at a cost of Rs 500 crore. It has proposed various forms of seva (service) from devotees wishing to participate in the golden temple project, such as donating saplings for plantation, Krishna Leela idols, fountains, grills, bricks, cement, iron, sand, doors, granite, marble, tiles, chips, fans, silver and brass puja objects.
Iskcon South India president and trustee of the golden temple project Satyagopinath Das said that the Swarna Hamsa temple would be gold-plated, the arches being designed in the Jaipur architectural style. He explained that the red sand of Rajasthan was used for these arches, which would be the main attraction at the temple’s entrance.
Mr Gopinath also said that the 4-D theatres, popular in Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai and Jaipur, would be installed on the temple premises, along with an advanced 7-D oufit to show Sri Krishna Leelas and the Bhagavad Gita. He stated that Iskcon was operating medical centres in Delhi, Mumbai and Mayapur and a similar production centre would be started here too.