Telangana: 1,000 Year Old Yadadri Temple, The Abode Of Lord Narasimha, Rebuilt In Magnificent Glory

The ancient cave shrine of Lord Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy in Yadagirigutta, about 70 km away from Hyderabad, is getting ready for inauguration after Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government has spent nearly Rs 800 crore on its renovation.

Redevelopment of this 1000 year old Vaishnavite temple is a dream project of Telangana Chief Minister (CM) K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR).

While hundreds of sculptors and artisans are working round the clock to give final touches to this temple rebuilt with stone, civil engineers and civic officials are racing against the time to complete the necessary civic infrastructure.

A sprawling 14.5 acre temple complex consists of seven gopurams (towers), including a 100 feet high main gopuram, reports Hindustan Times.

The TRS government in the state is redeveloping the temple according to the ancient Agama shastra (scriptures dealing with construction of temples).

“All the works related to the main temple complex including architectural works like inner and outer prakarams (compound walls), various types of stone-carved pillars, affiliated temples, sculptures of various gods and goddesses and Alwars (Vaishnavite bhakti saints) have been completed,” G Kishan Rao, vice-chairman and chief executive officer of Yadadri Temple Development Authority (YTDA), said.

“Till now, we have spent Rs 837 crore for the project which includes construction of retaining walls, development of temple city in 250 acres, land acquisition cost and development of infrastructure like laying of roads, construction of VVIP cottages and augmentation of drinking water supply,” Rao said.

“The uniqueness of the temple is that it is reconstructed without using cement, concrete or bricks, but only with Krishnashila (black granite) used by Kakatiya emperors of Telangana for the temple architecture. It can remain intact for another 10 to 11 centuries,” the YTDA CEO said.

“The chief minister felt the need to develop Yadadri into a globally-known shrine on the lines of Tirumala,” Rao added.