Stressing that all temples need to be socially driven, A.V. Dharma Reddy, Executive Officer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), says temples do not just help in building a spiritual essence in the society and protect the value system, but should also play an instrumental role in social upliftment.

“When a pilgrim donates to the temple, the latter must also give it back to the social ecosystem it thrives in,” he tells IANS.

Citing contributions made by TTD, he says, “From state-of-the-art medical facilities to protecting the environment, we ensure that our social imprint is everywhere.”

Talk to him about the need for government control in temple administration, and he says that the government-run ones are often managed much better as compared to their private counterparts.

“We have seen that many a time, private organisations have their own self-interests. In the case of government-run temples, there is complete transparency of funds.”

Adding that two kinds of devotees come to the temples managed by TTD — the ones who cannot pay and those who can, he says 60 per cent of energy is prioritised towards the former.

“We ensure that utmost priority is given to them in all respects. Of course, we have online darshans and paid sevas as well.”

Talking about multiple development programmes and IT initiatives, Reddy says that modern technology is employed to ascertain functioning in all spheres.

“Much emphasis is laid on computerisation and going paperless. Afforestation drives are conducted consistently, and electric vehicles in campus are encouraged. Systems are put in place to avoid man-animal conflicts. Thanks to the adoption of technology, we are manufacturing several profit-making articles, including agarbatis, ayurvedic medicines, and organic goods.”

The Executive Officer, who was one of the speakers on the first day of the world’s biggest International Temples Convention and Expo (ITCX) 2023, being held in Varanasi, feels it is an excellent opportunity to study each others’ best practices and adopt them.

“This convention gives us a chance to share our experiences with other temples. We can also look at novel methods being adopted by other temples in order to serve pilgrims better.”