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RAJAHMUNDRY, ANDRA PRADESH, August 8, 2003: A large number of pilgrims are thronging the replica of Venkateswara temple put up at the Gowtham ghat on the river Godavary. The hundi collections stood at US$12,500, a spokesman of the Tirumala-Tirupathi Devasthanam (TTD) said on Thursday. He said that the look-alike temple, constructed at a cost of $31,250, was opened to pilgrims after the Samprokshanam on July 28. A battery of priests, flower decorators, parkamani staff (accountants) and Pallaki bearers were brought here from Tirumala for the festival. He said rituals from Suprabhatam to Ekantha Seva are being performed daily in the traditional way as is done in Tirumala, besides conducting of arthi daily (worship with lamps) to River Godavari in the evening. The Dharmaprachara Parishad was conducting cultural programs and discourses and Annaprasadam (free food) was being supplied to pilgrims. The famed Srivari Kalyanotsavam laddu (a large sweet offered to the Diety) was being sold at $1.60 at the Pranganam and at TTD Kalyanamandapam at Dhanavapeta. The Temple museum exhibition in the TTD Kalyanamandapam here was attracting hundreds of thousands of people, the spokesman added.

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