ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA, May 10, 2011 (The Hindu): The Tirumala Tirupati Devesthanam (TTD) on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that it has shelved the controversial decision on gold plating the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala, the world’s richest temple.
The decision to reconsider the move was taken in deference to the sentiments expressed by thousands of devotees and the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s judgement quashing the earlier resolution passed by the TTD for the gold plating exercise, the board told the apex court.
The TTD said it had no powers to carry out the exercise of drilling thousands of holes in the inner recess adorning the deities in view of the restrictions imposed by Section 2(a) of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.
The TTD’s 2008 decision to carry out gold plating of the temple’s sanctum sanctorum, was fiercely opposed by several devotees on the grounds that it was not only against scriptural tenets but posed a grave threat to the 11th century shrine.