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TIRUPATI, INDIA, October 28, 2004: A majority of the speakers at a meeting here supported the demolition of the 1000-pillar mantap and said that the structure had no connection with the temple and had no Agama Shastra (religious texts dealing with temple construction) importance. However, one of the speakers at Wednesday’s meeting, a former deputy executive officer of the TTD, pointed out that since 1933, the TTD Board had passed a resolution on the preservation of the structures around the temple. E. Guravaiah, the former TTD deputy executive officer, said that the 1000-pillar mantap, with a number of namams (the religious symbol of the Vaishnavites) should be considered a religious place. The mantap should not be seen as a mere structure. Every namam engraved on the pillar was a temple by itself, he added. Kiran Kumar, an archaeologist, did not oppose the TTD taking up developmental works for the convenience of the devotees. Tirupati Urban Development Authority chairman and TTD Board member B. Karunakar Reddy, who organized and chaired the meeting, questioned those who were objecting now while remaining silent during the demolition. It may be noted that the government had constituted a three-member committee to go into the demolition of the 1000-pillar mantap. The committee held discussions with the TTD officials and agama pandits including the Sri Venkateswara temple Chief Priest Dr. A. V. Ramana Dikshitulu.

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