Hanuman birthplace row: TTD goes ahead with Bhoomi Puja to construct temple

The Bhoomi Puja of a Hanuman temple was performed on Anjjanadri hill near Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday, ten months after the expert panel decided on the place.

The expert committee of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) announced that Tirumala is the birthplace of the deity, following which the TTD has decided to construct a temple. On Wednesday, a group of priests performed puja for building the Sri Anjanayaswamy temple.

In April last year, a committee constituted by TTD, which manages the affairs of Sri Venkateswara temple atop Tirumala, had announced that Japali Theertham near Akasha Ganga waterfall is the birthplace of Lord Hanuman.

The TTD committee had stated that they established the fact that Tirumala is the birthplace of Hanuman after four months of intensive research.

Bhoomi Puja was performed a day after the Andhra Pradesh High Court directed the TTD not to take up any kind of construction works including building of temple on Anjanadri hill.

The court had directed TTD and Principal Secretary, Endowments to file counter affidavits with all details pertaining to the proposed constructions.

Court case over Anjanadri Hill

The high court was dealing with a petition filed by Agraharam Raghavendra and two others challenging proposed construction being taken by the TTD. They argued that Anjanadri is a part of seven hills of Tirumala and building a temple there is against the Puranas.

The court was told that according to the Puranas, human beings are not allowed to consecrate any idols anywhere on seven hills. The petitioners also argued that there is no scientific evidence or mention in the Puranas to support the claim of TTD that Anjanadri hill is the birthplace of Hanuman.

(With inputs from IANS)