Experts Inspect Ancient Siddheswara Temple at Krishnapatnam Ahead of Restoration

Tirupati: AP government is taking up restoration of the ancient Kamakshi Sametha Siddheswara Swamy Temple at Krishnapatnam in Muthukur mandal of Nellore district. The focus will be on safeguarding the temple’s historical identity while improving the infrastructure for devotees.Endowments minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy visited the temple on Friday along with Sarvepalli MLA Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy and officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the state Endowments department. The team inspected the temple premises and reviewed the maps prepared for its reconstruction.The temple is believed to have been built by Cholas between the 10th and 11th centuries.Speaking on the occasion, the minister underlined that the Kamakshi Sametha Siddheswara Swamy Temple will be restored without disturbing its original structure or the ancient architectural features. He said experts from ASI, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh are jointly studying the site to ensure that the temple’s antiquity is preserved. Work will be planned carefully, so as not to disturb the heritage value handed down to the temple by earlier generations.Anam pointed out that reconstruction of 706 temples has been taken up with an estimated cost of ₹832 crore. Further, with financial support from Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, more than 5,000 bhajana mandirs are being constructed across the state. Steps are being taken to ensure that daily rituals are performed in temples, so that an increased number of devotees participate in them. The minister underlined that several reforms have been introduced in the endowments department on the directives of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. ₹10,000 per month is being provided to 6,170 temples across the state under Dhupa Deepa Naivedyam scheme with an annual outlay of ₹74 crore.MLA Somireddy said the temple reconstruction works are aimed at preserving the temple for future generations.Archaeology official Muniratnam Reddy said steps are being taken to restore the temples without affecting their heritage and architecture. Such works have already been carried out at temples, such as Simhachalam, Srikalahasti, Srisailam, and Alipiri. The same approach would be followed for refurbishing the Kamakshi Sametha Siddheswara Swamy Temple at Krishnapatnam.



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