HYDERABAD, INDIA, June 28, 2003: When the cash-strapped Chandrababu Naidu government tried to dip into the funds of the Tirupati-Tirumala Devasthanam (TTD), India’s richest shrine with an annual income of over US$108,126,000, they found resistance from temple authorities, employees, religious leaders and political parties. Naidu had recently directed the temple to contribute $16,261,000 to build an infrastructure for the Godavari puskaram — a mini Kumbha Mela — beginning next month, as well as an additional $1,084,000 for the golden jubilee festivities of the Venkateswara University. The government met with such opposition they were forced to downsize the request to less than one-half the original amount or face the threat of public agitation if they persisted with their request for funding. The much-respected Tridandi Sriman Narayana Ramanuja Chinna Jeer Swamy has criticized the move as an “unhealthy practice” and said, “The government should explore alternative sources.”
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