Cunning Chistist design at Tirumala

The much rattled Executive Officer (E.O), APVN Sarma called for a hurried media conference at Tirupati on July 17. He took extreme pains to negate the presence of christists living in Tirumala. He claimed that a house-to-house survey did not find a single employee of other faith living in Tirumala. He stated that if anyone showed proof that christists were living in Tirumala Hills, appropriate action will be taken and such persons would be transferred.

Let us put the E.O. to test and name a few very important officials in his Administration who are practicing christists. Majority of the TTD employees know this fact except perhaps the EO who either is ignorant or feigning ignorance:

1. Highly placed sources in Devasthanam, who wish to remain anonymous have confirmed to me that the Deputy E.O.(Reception) Jayaramiah is a practicing christist. This gentleman has sweeping powers on the allotment of cottages including the V.I.P ones in the Padmavathy Guest House Area. Does the E.O. know that this man is a converted christist? He has some 2000 people working under him. And the word goes around that he deliberately creates "tight situation" a local parlance for non-availability of cottages for the pilgrims even on days when there is no big rush. Maybe, he is putting to practice the "Project Tessalonica" of the christists which explicitly wants them to create absolute inconvenience to the Hindu Devotees, make them suffer for want of accommodation etc., in places where the Hindus congregate in thousands so that they are discouraged to make this trip more often. What is the guarantee that he does not use his official powers to "let out" one or two cottages each Sunday for "their" prayers?

Will the E.O. conduct an open and honest inquiry into the antecedents of this man and call his sub-ordinates discreetly for an inquiry.

2. It is also stated that one Vijayakumar, Superintendent of the MBC 26 (Mangala Bhavi Cottages) is also a crypto-christist. Powers to Allot cottages in the Sri Venkateswara Guest House Area is vested with him.

Does the EO know that he is a crypto-christist?

3. Das in the Medical Department MNO/FNO is an evangelist.He is a self-appointed union leader of sorts. It is interesting to note that he recently received "Shram Shakti" Award from the Government headed by Samuel Rajasekhar. After all he has really done some "Shram" in proselytisation so has been duly rewarded.

Can the EO deny that he is not a christist?

4. Is the EO aware that maximum conversions at Tirumala has taken place in the Sanitary workers families? Most of them are christists and NOT HINDUS. Some of them are even employed in the holy precincts of the Mandir.

It is enough if the EO makes a beginning with Jayaramiah, Vijayakumar and Das, for this will surely open the real numbers of such crypto-christists working and living in Tirumala.

HINDU SYMBOLS

Maybe, it would be appropriate to remind the current EO that during the tenure of Sri Prasad, IAS as the EO, a circular was issued making it compulsory for all the TTD employees to apply on their foreheads either a Tiruman, Kumkum, Bindi, Tilak, Chandan or Vibhuti. These were provided at the entrance of the Administrative Building and without wearing this religious mark, none was allowed to take his or her seat. The exceptions was in case of Widows. The practice was slowly discarded after the exit of Sri Prasad. The EO should instantly restore this practice and the crypto-christists will stand exposed.

Is the EO aware that the Special Officer, Dharma Reddy visits the Mandir in casual trouser and tucked in T Shirt even while receiving a Sitting Judge of AP High Court? Or for that matter was attired in trouser and T Shirt while carrying the mortal remains of the Chief Purohit of the Tirumala Mandir and a great scholar of Vaikhanasa Agama, Sri Madambakkam Swamin?

Is this our culture? our Samskriti, Mr EO?

Why dont' you for a change implement a dress code for all those TTD personnel employed in the Mandir? Why can't they come attired in Dhoti, Angavastram and with Hindu religious symbol on their foreheads?

During the Press meet, the EO also took pains to quote from the Varaha Purana that there is no mention of Seven Hills so the issue of Seven Hills being reduced to Two Hills is just a "supposition". Even if this were to be only a "supposition" of the Hindus, the EO should understand clearly that this "Supposition" is a matter of Hindu faith and is non-negotiable.The irony is even the monthly magazine brought out by the TTD is called - "Saptagiri".

If there are no Seven Hills, then, what are we fighting for? Bhagawan Balaji is not the Lord of Seven Hills - Saptagirivasa as the Hindus have been "supposing" for ages.He then is the Archa Avatara Rupa standing in all His resplendent glory on top of "a hill".

Let us remind the E.O. on the following facts:

1. Mackenzie's manuscript of the year 1801 states explicitly that the Seven Hills extended up to the Swarnamukhi river near Sri Kalahasti in the East, Nagapatala Devarakonda in the West, Yerraguntla Thota in Rayachoti Taluk in the North and Pillari Kanuma near Narayanavanam in the South.

2. Let us look at the Judgement of a division bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in 1997 - Tallapakkam Kuppa Raghavan (a descendent of Saint Tallapaka Annamacharya) vs The State of Andhra Pradesh.The Division Bench contended that the ownership of all the Seven Hills vested with Lord Venkateshwara, right from the foothills on all sides. In that judgement, the bench observed:

"Although there is no documentation available as the origin is lost in antiquity, no one has questioned the ownership (of Seven Hills) by Lord Venkateswara. This being true and a real concept, the Board of Trustees, the Committee or the Executive Officer are only administrators of the property of Lord Venkateswara. They can have no right of ownership in themselves and they cannot thus decide anything against the interest of the right of the owner (Lord Venkateswara). Once the ownership is resolved and the right to administer is deemed to vest as provided under Article 26 of the Constitution of India in the plurality of the devotees and regulated by the provisions of the Act and Rules framed thereunder, no administrator, whether appointed under the Act or otherwise can take liberty to destroy the sanctity and holiness of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, and domain as we have already held, extends to all the Seven Hills called Tirumala. It is not in dispute that pilgrims in thousands and millions sometimes visit the temple and there is no day which is not full of activities of the pilgrims and various rituals, pujas and rites of the cult preserved since antiquity and no part of the Seven Hills, except some secular activities which are essential for the service of Lord Venkateswara is free from religious activities, in and around the temple right from the foothills on all sides".

Having stated this, let us examine how the extent of land under the ownership of Bhagawan Balaji shrunk to a pathetic figure of 10.33 Sq miles as stated in G.O. 338:

Source: Report of the Andhra Pradesh Endowments Commission, Volume 1 dated 28th February, 1986, pages 193/194

XIII. Population, Tirumala:

9.24 One of the serious problems now faced by the TTD is how to control the enormous growth of population at Tirumala Hills. The growth of population at Tirumala Hills has created a number of problems to tht T.T.D. management.

An extent of 4.5 square miles around the temple of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala was ordered in G.O. Ms No. 1713, dated 18-11-1876 by the Government of Madras to be handed over to the Mahant (of Hathiram ji Mutt), who was the then "Vicharana Kartha" of the Temple. Luckily the Deputy Conservator, Mr Shaffield committed a mistake in using a 100 feet chain instead of 66 feet chain in demarcating the aforesaid 4.5 Sq miles which resulted in securing 10.33 Sq Miles (or 27.5 Sq Kms) area to this sacred shrine.

Finally the Government of Andhra Pradesh in G.O. Ms No. 1784, Revenue (Q) Department dated 4-11-1965 ordered grant of patta to the temple for 10.33 Sq miles around the temple.

That the Bhagawan is the Lord of the Seven Hills is an accepted fact much before the Brits set their dirty feet on our land. And the Endowment Dept is rejoicing and are even feeling merciful that the Brits gave 10.33 Sq miles to Bhagawan instead of 4.5 Sq miles as originally decided !!! The Brits have long since left our shores. Yet, successive TTD Boards and Governments have not rectified this issue of ownership by declaring the entire area of the vast Hills measuring 250 plus Sq Miles as Bhagawan Balaji's.

The benovelent Brits leave the Bhagawan with 10.33 Sq Miles and it has stuck ever since. And instead of restoring the entire range of Hills to Him, our Secular government just adds the seven Tirthams and 20 ft path leading to these Tirthams, plus the footpath from Alipiri, Tirupati and the other two foot paths, one from the Chandragiri Side and the other called the Annamayya Bhata from Cuddapah, the latest addition because Samuel can send his evangelists from Cuddapah.

The forest on either side of the foot path belongs to the Forest Department. And here is where I foresee a masterstroke of this christist government of AP aided and abetted by the christist super PM.

The cunning christists

Recently, the Forest Department of the Government of A.P. advertised in the Press calling for sealed tenders with bids from private parties under the scheme called "Eco-Restoration Project". The idea is to lease out forests to private parties under the afforestation/eco-restoration scheme. The lease period is 33 years which in effect means that the lessee becomes a "permanent" lessee under existing laws. This confers on him a ownership right on 1/3 rd of the area under lease even after the expiry of the lease period. An extent of 56,000 odd acres of such forest lands in select districts of AP are going to be leased out to private parties under this scheme.

I am more than convinced that slowly, this scheme will be extended to forest lands of the Sacred Tirumala Hills in a future call, if a part of this forest land is not already included in the 56,000 odd acres proposed to be privatised.

This is a back door entry offered to other than Hindus to lease lands on the Sacred Hills so they can even have their own "places of worship" for their "workers".

Therefore, the Hindu Samaj has to demand the Government of AP and the Central Government to notify the entire forest area as belonging to Bhagawan Balaji with the TTD as the current administrators. And this is non-negotiable.

Don't be surprised if at some day in your life as you trek the Sacred Hills, your divine chant of "Govinda-Govinda" may have to compete for airspace with the rants of Halleluja or Allah Hu Akbar.