INDIA, January 2011: Devotees are protected by the Gods. But sometimes, they feel like they need to so something to protect their protectors — or at least their earthly abode, the temples.
The Sri Venkateshwara Temple of Tirumala Giri is has endured for centuries. Nowadays, the state government appoints its Board of Trustees for the Temple and it is supervised by Executive Officer. This Temple owns a certain parcel of 5.24 acres of land donated by devotees many, many generations ago. Last week of June, 2010, it was announced that the Endowment Department was planning sell that land by auctioning. The reason given to auction the land is the same as before for auctioning the lands of other Hindu Temple – government is not able to stop encroachment.
The former Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Sri Ghanta Hanumantha Rao, then wrote a letter to Sri Gade Venkata Reddy, Minister for Endowments Department, with the following details requesting him to stop the auction the Temple lands: ‘There is no need to sell the land at this juncture. The Temple receives 19 lakhs through haircutting, 2 lakhs through coconuts, 4 lakhs through the auction of rice, 6 lakhs through renting the shop spaces, 35 lakhs through the sale of darshan and pooja tickets, and about 40 lakhs from HUNDI donations. The Temple’s average income is ONE crore rupees,’ he wrote.
Hanumantha Rao went to Hyderabad to meet the Endowment Minister and a series of government officials. It took months and dozens of meetings, but his persistence paid off. The government announced that, for the time being, the land auction is postponed. A single individual, it seems, can make a difference — with divine blessings paving the way.