Gandi Veeranjaneya temple in Kadapa district gets ₹28 crore facelift

Tirupati: The historic Gandi Veeranjaneya Swamy Temple, located on the banks of the Papaghni river, has been restored to its former glory following extensive reconstruction works undertaken by the state endowments department at a cost of ₹28 crore.Spiritual fervour marked the Mahakumbhabhishekam ceremony, held on a grand scale at the temple on Tuesday, coinciding with the auspicious Hanuman Jayanti festival.According to legend, the idol of Lord Anjaneya at Gandi was carved by Lord Sri Rama himself, making it one of the most significant spiritual sites in the region.State endowments minister Anam, who participated in the ceremony along with govt whip Reddeppagari Madhavi Reddy, Kamalapuram MLA Putha Chaitanya Reddy, and Jammalamadugu MLA Ch Adinarayana Reddy, said the reconstruction and upgrade of devotee amenities were completed at a total cost of ₹28.05 crore. He highlighted the temple’s strong financial position, citing an annual income of ₹5.62 crore and fixed deposits of ₹9.47 crore.The minister said the TDP-led NDA govt, under chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, is giving top priority to restoring the lost glory of ancient temples across the state.“Under the Common Good Fund, ₹832 crore has been sanctioned for the development of 706 temples statewide. Additionally, a major initiative to construct 5,000 Bhajan Mandirs in rural areas is underway with a budget of ₹750 crore, taking spiritual infrastructure to the grassroots level,” he added.