Miscellaneous - This Day That Age   

dated October 21, 1952: Water supply to Tirumalai

Mr. C. Rajagopalachari, Chief Minister of Madras, fulfilled the promise made by him exactly two years ago on October 20 by turning on the first tap under the Papavinasam Water Supply Scheme designed to augment water supply to Tirumalai. The foundation scheme of Papavinasam Water Works was laid on July 20, 1950, by the Maharaja of Bhavnagar, the then Governor of Madras and had been completed in two years.

This holy shrine attracted pilgrims from all over India and the daily attendance had been steadily mounting. The pilgrim traffic had considerably increased since the Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanam authorities provided a good motorable road in 1944 and also introduced an efficient bus service.

This temple had a hoary tradition. The Lord of the Universe, according to it, was reclining there on the thousand-headed Adisesha. The sprawling hills leading to Tirumalai easily suggested the likeness of a serpent. The Lord was worshipped as Balaji by pilgrims from the North, while the people of the South worshipped Him as Lord Venkateswara, Lord Srinivasa, Lord Venkatachalapathi or under several other names. Supplying good drinking water to the thousands of pilgrims assembling in Tirupati every day presented a problem to the Devasthanam management. A climax was reached in 1946 when acute water scarcity was experienced. The source of water supply, for a long time, had been the Alwar Tank credited to have been dug under the orders of Sri Ramanuja by a disciple of his, Sri Anandan Pillai, also known as "Anandalwan." This small tank was situated at a distance of about two furlongs to the south of the temple.

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• dated October 21, 1952: Water supply to Tirumalai
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