Telangana CM to make Rs 5.45 crore offering to Lord Balaji temple in Tirupati today

Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief K Chandrasekhar Rao had vowed to make the offerings during the movement for separate Telangana state.

Tirupati: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will on Wednesday offer ornaments worth Rs 5.45 crore to Lord Balaji temple in Andhra Pradesh.

KCR, along with his family members, ministers and top officials arrived here on Tuesday by two special aircraft for the much-awaited thanksgiving trip to the Tirumala temple.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief had vowed to make the offerings during the movement for separate Telangana state.

He, along with his family members, ministers and officials will have 'darshan' at Tirumala temple this morning.

He will be offering gold ornaments worth Rs 5 crore to Lord Balaji and a nose-stud worth Rs 45,000 to Goddess Padmavati, both revered deities at Tirupati. The offerings have cost the state exchequer a whopping Rs 5.45 crore.

After making the offering, they will leave for Padmavati temple at Tiruchanur.

This is KCR's first visit to the famous Tirumala temple after he became the first Chief Minister of newly created Telangana state in 2014.

On arrival at Renigunta Airport near here, the Telangana Chief Minister was accorded a warm welcome by B Gopalakrishna Reddy, a minister in Andhra Pradesh cabinet and some MLAs of ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

Later, KCR, his wife Shobha, daughter and TRS MP K Kavitha and other family members reached Tirupati by road. Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) officials received him at a guest house, where he had a night halt.

Telangana Assembly speaker Madhusudhana Chary, several ministers, Chief Secretary SP Singh and Chief Advisor Rajiv Sharma reached Tirupati by another special aircraft.

The ministers include KCR's son KT Rama Rao and nephew Harish Rao.

(With IANS inputs)