Hindu groups demand independent Yadadri board

Hyderabad:Several Hindu groups welcomed Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s announcement about constituting the Yadagirigutta temple board to oversee the administration of the hill shrine, but urged him not to emulate the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam model as it was highly politicised.

Instead, they urged Revanth Reddy to form an independent board on the lines of the board governing the Padmanabha Swamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram and the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.

Dharm Jagaran Samiti working president P. Ramakrishna referred to a recent Supreme Court verdict which allowed the Padmanabha Swamy temple to function with limited government interference. The Travancore royal family is overseeing the temple’s administration and an advisory committee of government officials and religious scholars takes care of its day-to-day operations.

VHP leader Prakash Raj said the political interference disrupted traditional practices and pointed out there were consistent calls from different sections to make the TTD Board an autonomous body, with representatives selected based on religious, administrative and financial expertise. An independent board for Yadagirigutta temple would help in focusing solely on its religious and cultural responsibilities, he noted.

Hindu Jagaran Vedika secretary Nischalanand Trivedi said the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, formed by the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, functioned independently. “The committee is appointed with members to ensure the temple management aligns with public expectations, regional laws and cultural practices,” Trivedi said.

“Members who have religious background and inclination to public service are appointed to the board, which is effectively overseeing the shrine’s administration, infrastructure and pilgrim facilities, emphasising safety, sanitation and crowd management,” he explained.