Counting of Medaram hundis begins under tight security

Warangal: The counting of Medaram hundis has begun at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) Kalyana Mandapam in Hanamkonda on Thursday. The endowments department launched the counting of offerings in the presence of the temple priests under video surveillance with tight police security and staff of endowments and revenue departments, members of Medaram temple trust board, voluntary organisations and Bhakti Mandali will take part in the counting to be held for ten days.

The officials had placed 518 hundis on the temple premises in Medaram in Mulugu district this year which have been shifted to the TTD Kalyana Mandapam for counting after the Jatara. Another 25 hundis are still on the temple premises keeping in view of the devotees visiting Medaram for Thirugu Vaaram Panduga, a post-jatara ritual, and will be shifted for counting on March 3.

Lakhs of devotees and visitors visited the four-day tribal festival not only from all corners of the Telangana state but also from Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh states and offered offerings in the form of money, gold, silver and Odi Biyyam (holy rice) along with jaggery to the deities of Sammakka-Saralamma at the Medaram temple.

While around 1.2 crores of devotees visited last time, this year witnessed more than 2 crores of worshippers attending the Jatara. Around 50 lakh devotees visited Medaram before the Jatara began and around 1.45 crores visited during the Jatara held from February 21 to 24 and 5 to 7 lakh devotees are expected for Tirugu Vaaram after the Jatara.

In 2022, the temple generated Rs 11.44 crores of revenue through 497 hundis apart from 631 gm of gold and 48 kg of silver. There is a possibility of an increase in the revenue this year, according to sources.

Of the total revenue through hundis, 33 per cent will be allotted to the Medaram temple priests and 67 per cent will be allotted to the endowments department. Thirteen priests will share the 33 per cent of the total revenue.

Meanwhile, the counting staff of the Medaram hundis found fake currency notes offered by devotees in the hundis. The fake notes have a portrait of Dr B.R. Ambedkar and a demand made to the government to use Ambedkar’s photo on the currency notes.