Hyderabad: The Yadadri Temple Development Authority is preparing to renovate the Yadadri shrine and develop it as a temple city on par with the hill shrines of Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh and Palani in Tamil Nadu.
The work is expected to be completed before the deadline of next Dasara, and the sanctum sanctorum will be functional from Vijayadasami in 2017.
According to the YTDA’s blueprint, the structure of the hill will be changed as per the Agama Shastra, and Mada streets will be developed on the four sides.
YTDA vice-chairman G. Kishan Rao told this newspaper that the renovation work on the main temple, which will cover 2.33 acres, would be completed before Dasara next year. Altogether 258 acres will be developed in the first phase.
The YTDA had identified about 1,800 acres of land for the project and the acquisition is underway. The first phase is estimated to cost Rs 800 crore. YTDA is also developing cottages and other amenities for pilgrims at the neighbouring hill, Peddagutta, on 850 acres of land.
"We are developing plots for the cottages in the PPP mode. Benefits for donors will be finalised once the development of the plots is complete," Mr Kishan Rao said.
The temple will be made of stone. After the Chief Minister's visit to the shrine recently, the YDTA directed contractors to bring in sculptors to do the work. The procurement of Krishna Rathi (rocks black in colour) began recently. According to the master plan, there will be four broad roads (Mada streets) to the temple.The existing road from Rayagiri to Yadadri will be developed in Phase-I, officials said
