A Chennai based Muslim couple donated Rs 1 crore to the Lord Venkateshwara temple in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati district on Tuesday, September 20. They made an offering of cash and properties to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which is an independent trust which manages temples such as the Lord Venketeshwara temple. Subeena Banu and Abdul Ghani donated Rs 1.02 crore to TTD, including Rs 87 lakh worth furniture and utensils for the newly constructed Sri Padmavathi Rest House and a DD (Demand Draft) for Rs 15 lakhs towards Sri Venkateswara Anna Prasadam Trust, which provides free food to thousands of devotees visiting the temple every day. The DD was handed over to TTD Executive Officer (EO) AV Dharma Reddy at Ranganayakula Mandapam in Tirumala temple.
This is not the first time that Abdul Ghani, a businessman, has made donations to this temple, popularly known as Balaji temple. In 2020, he donated a multi-dimensional tractor-mounted sprayer to spray disinfectants in temple premises during COVID-19 pandemic. He had earlier donated a Rs 35 lakh refrigerator truck to the temple for transporting vegetables.
Earlier on September 17, Reliance Industries chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani made an offering of Rs 1.5 crore to TTD. Ambani was accompanied by his son Anant’s fiancee Radhika Merchant and Reliance Retail Limited Director Manoj Modi. They had a darshan and participated in the rituals performed by the temple priests, following which they reached Ranganayakula Mandapam and handed over the DD to TTD executive officer AV Dharma Reddy. An image of his visit to the temple, where he was seen receiving blessings from an elephant, went viral on social media. Ambani had also visited TTD Goshala during his temple visit.
(With IANS inputs)