Only carvings of God allowed in Yadadri: Special secretary

Hyderabad: The controversy over images of the Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and his party’s symbol the ‘car’ carved on the pillars of Yadagirugutta temple created an uproar in the state. Now, Special secretary to Telangana CM, Bhoopal Reddy said, “No other symbols except symbols related to God and the temple should be allowed on the pillars of Yadadri temple.”

Mr Bhoopal expressed anger over the carvings on the pillars of the temple at Yadadri during the ongoing revival programme of the temple.

In an official meeting at Pragati Bhawan on Saturday evening, Reddy questioned YTDA special officer Kishan Rao and art director Ananda Sai about the carvings. He asked, “Under whose instructions and direction the pictures of Mr Chandrashekhar Rao, Mrs Indira Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi and symbols of certain political parties were engraved?”

In a response to Reddy's queried YTDA officials said that they did not give any instructions to carve the portraits of the political leaders and party symbols and that one or two sculptors did the work on their own and as per their wish. They also explained that the CM himself never wanted his portrait to be carved on the temple pillars.

The YTDA officials added that the CM wanted pictures portraying the importance and greatness of the temple and spiritual related pictures carved and engraved in the temple’s vicinity.

Mr Bhoopal Reddy instructed that all the carvings of political leaders, party symbols and other such objectionable material should be taken off forthwith.