What Allegations of Sacrilege Arise in Tirupati?

Tirupati, Sep 17 (NationPress) The former Chairman of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) and leader of the YSR Congress Party, Bhuma Karunakar Reddy, has expressed his outrage over what he describes as a shocking act of desecration at Alipiri. There, a revered idol of Sri Maha Vishnu was discovered in a deplorable state, surrounded by filth, liquor bottles, and human waste.

He stated that this serious incident has profoundly hurt the sentiments of devotees and signifies a total failure of the current TTD Board, led by Chairman B.R. Naidu.

According to him, the idol unmistakably displays the Shankha and Chakra, the divine symbols of Sri Maha Vishnu, and cannot be inaccurately represented as belonging to any other deity. Efforts to dismiss it as a discarded sculpture are unfounded and reckless. This incident underscores the breakdown of TTD’s surveillance and monitoring systems, raising critical questions about governance and accountability.

Karunakar Reddy highlighted in a statement that this is not a singular event but part of a pattern of errors that have beset TTD since the current chairman took office. Such ongoing issues are tarnishing the sanctity of Tirumala and jeopardizing the faith of millions of devotees.

He asserted that safeguarding Hindu Dharma transcends politics and must be the primary responsibility of TTD. He urged Hindu organizations and society at large to stand against this affront to their faith and to demand accountability from those charged with preserving Tirumala’s spiritual legacy.

On the other hand, the state government, via its fact-checking wing, clarified that the statue is not of Maha Vishnu. Labeling it as false propaganda, the government asserted that it is an incomplete statue of Lord Shani. Due to a flaw in its creation, a sculptor named Pattu Kannayya, who worked in the area years ago, abandoned it, and it has remained there for the past decade.

They cautioned that sharing or posting such content on social media that offends the sentiments of devotees could lead to legal repercussions.

Nonetheless, Karunakar Reddy maintained his stance, arguing that those who lack fundamental knowledge of the Vaikhanasa Agama Shastra are spreading misinformation against him rather than addressing the reality.

He revealed that when he brought the sacrilege at Alipiri to light, he faced threats of false criminal charges in an attempt to silence him. “Claims that the idol represents Shani are entirely unfounded,” he emphasized, noting that an idol adorned with Shankha and Chakra can only signify Sri Maha Vishnu, while Shani is traditionally depicted with a bow and arrow.

He dismissed the explanation that the idol was merely a discarded sculpture as irresponsible and an insult to the faith. The truth, he asserted, is indisputable—this is indeed the idol of Sri Maha Vishnu.