The Telangana government has decided to buy 125kg of “pure” gold from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to decorate the temple tower at Yadadri, chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao told reporters on Tuesday, adding that the government will need around ₹60 to ₹65 crore to make the purchase.
"According to their estimation it needs 125kg of gold. We have decided to get it done. The value of it would be ₹60 to ₹65 crore. The government is capable of undertaking the task of doing it...We have decided to buy from the Reserve Bank of India. We will complete the fundraising and buy the gold from RBI so that we get pure gold," Rao told reporters during his visit to Yadadri.
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief said his family will donate the first 1.16kg of gold to the temple and other ministers and legislative members will also come forward with similar donations.
Work to convert the famous hill shrine of Yadadri into a popular hub for religious tourism was launched at the cost of ₹1,200 crore. Rao had said in the state legislature that his government has prioritized development of all religious structures, including mosques and churches.
Yadadri is considered to be Rao’s dream of building a temple that matches the opulence of Tirumala in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. Hundreds of sculptors and artisans have been working round the clock in the picturesque hills of Yadagirigutta (which has now been renamed Yadadri), about 70-km away from Hyderabad, to make his dream come true.
The latest endeavour of the TRS government to plate the temple in gold is also inspired by the Tirumala temple, and Rao said the government is consulting the experts who carried out a similar exercise at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam.
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