Vizianagaram: In another humiliation meted out to senior TD leader Pusapati Ashok Gajapati Raju, the AP endowments department on Saturday rejected his donation of Rs.1,01,116 for making a new idol of Lord Rama to be placed in the Sri Kodanda Rama Swamy temple at Ramatheertham in Vizianagaram district. The previous idol was desecrated by miscreants a few weeks ago.
Venting his anger on Twitter, and attaching the donation slip, Raju said “First, they unilaterally dismissed me as hereditary trustee / Chairman without as much as a notice in complete contravention of section 28. Now, they reject my offerings to the Lord as a representative of the founder family for the vigrahas.”
Stating that the TD leader had failed to discharge his duties in temple administration, the state government on Saturday removed him from the post of chairman of three temples in the state.
Assistant Commissioner of Endowments Ch Ranga Rao said that the new idol of Lord Rama is being prepared by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) as per agama guidelines.
The TTD had offered to make a three-feet tall idol free. The vandalised idol at Ramatheertham was carved out of stone, and so would the new idol be. “Though many people came forward with donations for the new idol, we rejected their offerings since the TTD is making the idol,” he added
