Kerala's Tirupati' temple put up for sale'

Kochi: A 50-year-old temple near Thachangad in Palakkad district is up for sale. It is owned by a Palakkad-based family and the members claim that the idol is similar to that of Lord Tirupati. They want to make it a Kerala Tirupatisthan by selling it to genuine buyers. Gopalan Nair, secretary of Kuthiramada Maha Vishnu Temple, who is the owner, placed advertisements in vernacular dailies on June 26 and also on an online marketing place seeking buyers.

“The temple with a 4,000-year-old idol is situated on the banks of river Bharathapuzha in one acre. The temple in the future will become a popular pilgrim centre. Persons who are interested to take over the temple affairs or buy it, please contact the following numbers,” the newspaper ad with the phone number of the secretary said.

When asked about the reason for the sale,  Gopalan Nair said that he wanted someone else to take over the affairs of the temple. Gopalan Nair’s wife said that the property was bought in mid-twentieth century. “We found an idol in the property in a dilapidated state.  During ‘Ashtamangalya Prashnam,’ it was found that the idol was similar to the deity at Tirupathi,” she said. “Later, we developed the temple and built Chuttambalam and Ooottupura also,” she added.

The ad placed in a local daily to sell the temple.

The temple is run by an officially registered trust, she said.Gopalan Nair refused to discuss the details when he understood that the call was from a newspaper. He just said someone better should properly manage the temple. When asked about the expected price,  he said, “you should visit the temple to discuss the price.” Gopalan Nair  received calls from a number  of potential buyers after the newspaper ad was published.