Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan (on screen) will virtually inaugurate the Giri Pradakshina route in Srikalahasti on Friday. Tirupati Collector S. Venkateswar, Temple Chairman K. Saiprasad and EO T. Bapi Reddy are on the dais. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan stated that the responsibility of managing the temples and protecting Sanatana Dharma is clearly vested in the Boards and their members.
Mr. Pawan Kalyan reiterated the NDA regime’s commitment to ensure the maintenance of temples and the protection of Hindu dharma and emphasized the need to maintain such shrines by forming boards of trustees with apolitical persons.
The Deputy Chief Minister started the 22 km long Giri Pradakshina route around the Srikalahasti temple from the Secretariat on Friday along with Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, legislators Bojjala Venkata Sudheer Reddy (Srikalahasti) and Arani Srinivasulu (Tirupati) and Jawahari Endowments.
The route was developed at an approximate cost of ₹10 crore to promote the concept of a spiritual walk around the Srikalahasti hillock on the “Girivalam” line, undertaken daily by thousands of devotees at the Tiruvannamalai (Arunachalam) temple in Tamil Nadu.
Mr. Pawan Kalyan said that after the Mahasivaratri festival saplings will be planted on both sides of the cement road.
Tirupati District Collector S. Venkateswar, Temple Board Chairman K. Saiprasad, Andhra Pradesh Handicrafts Development Corporation Chairman Pasupuleti Hariprasad, BJP State Vice President Kola Anand, Conservator of Forest C. Selvam, DFO Sai Baba and Temple Managing Director T. Bapi Reddy were present.
Published – 13 Feb 2026 21:27 IST