14th century Konda Bitragunta temple renovated, all set for Brahmotsavams

The historic Sri Prasanna Venkateswara Swamy temple at Konda Bitragunta in Bogolu mandal in SPSR Nellore district has been renovated and is all set for its annual Brahmotsavams, scheduled to commence on February 25.

Built in the 14th century by the Chola dynasty rulers, the temple witnessed massive development over the subsequent regimes, but has remained dilapidated for long. Repair and renovation works were taken up by the State Endowments Department recently, with several donors chipping in with their contributions, following a call given by Nellore MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy.

The temple has been renovated with several modern amenities required for the visiting devotees, without comprising on its ancient look.

The major highlight is the ‘Rajagopuram’ (main tower) at the eastern entrance, constructed at a cost of ₹2 crore. The devotees used to walk into the temple through the western entrance, but the Agamas and Vaasthu Shastra, the doctrine of temple worship and construction engineering, suggested having an eastern entrance.

The dilapidated footpath route leading to the hill-top temple has also been replaced with a flight of stairs, built at ₹50 lakh.

Meanwhile, Mr. Prabhakar Reddy’s VPR Foundation, extended ₹2 crore to revive the ancient temple tank, which is also considered to be a source of groundwater recharge for the entire region. Similarly, Bachu Charitable Trust has constructed a Kalyana Mandapam worth ₹2 crore.