The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, which manages the famed Lord Venkateswara temple, has handed over several of its pilgrim rest houses like the Padmavati Nilayam and Vishnuvasam for COVID-19 mitigation, Deccan Herald has reported.

Prominent Hindu temples in Andhra Pradesh, with Tirupati in forefront, have decided to provide shelter to the COVID-19 suspects including the Delhi Markaz attendees and relatives, amid the communal angle emerged in the country with respect to COVID-19.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, which manages the famed Lord Venkateswara temple, has handed over several of its pilgrim rest houses like the Padmavati Nilayam and Vishnuvasam for COVID-19 mitigation. TTD’s Vishnuvasam, Srinivasam, etc. pilgrim rest houses are being used to accommodate the destitute, migrant workers, etc.

Some premises of the Srikalahasti and Kanipakam Varasiddhi Vinayaka temples – also in Chittoor district like Tirupati – are converted to COVID-19 quarantine centres.

Chittoor collector Dr Bharath Gupta said that 100 rooms of one block of Padmavati Nilayam, 88 rooms at Kanipakkam and 14 rooms at Srikalahasti are presently set aside as quarantines.

187 people, including several connected to Nizamuddin Markaz, are in Padmavati Nilayam presently while about 40 such persons staying in Kanipakam “were sent back home after tests showed them as negative.”

“Since these guest houses have rooms with attached bathrooms and are nearest such facilities suitable for quarantine, we decided to utilize them for COVID-19 purpose,” Gupta said.

Srikalahasti and Kanipakam are located at distance of 40 KMs and 70 KMs respectively from Tirupati. These temples led by Tirupati are visited by millions of devotees especially from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana but are closed since the middle of March due to COVID-19 scare.

Chittoor district at the junction of AP, TN, Karnataka recorded 17 positive cases, out of the state’s total 266 COVID-19 cases as of Monday morning.

Over 90 percent of the state’s COVID-19 tally are Markaz attendees or their contacts, which has added a communal angle to corona virus spread. 

“Coronavirus does not discriminate between communities, caste or creed; or differentiate between rich or poor, countries or continents,” Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy said on Saturday appealing the public.

“It is an invisible enemy we have to fight unitedly, in this hour of global crisis.” he added.

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