Tirupati, Sep 17 : Former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) Chairman and YSR Congress Party leader Bhuma Karunakar Reddy has condemned what he called the shocking act of desecration at Alipiri, where a sacred idol of Sri Maha Vishnu was found amidst filth, liquor bottles, and human waste.

He stated that this grave incident has deeply hurt the sentiments of devotees and reflects the complete failure of the current TTD Board under Chairman B.R. Naidu.

According to him, the idol clearly bears the Shankha and Chakra, the divine symbols of Sri Maha Vishnu, and cannot be misrepresented as belonging to any other deity. Attempts to explain it away as a discarded sculpture are baseless and irresponsible. The incident highlights the collapse of TTD's surveillance and monitoring systems, raising serious concerns over governance and accountability.

Karunakar Reddy, in a statement, emphasised that this is not an isolated occurrence but part of a series of blunders that have plagued TTD since the current chairman assumed charge. Such repeated failures are eroding the sanctity of Tirumala and undermining the faith of millions of devotees.

He asserted that protecting Hindu Dharma is above politics and must remain the foremost duty of TTD. He called upon Hindu organisations and society at large to rise against this insult to their faith and to demand accountability from those entrusted with safeguarding Tirumala's spiritual heritage.

However, the state government, through its fact-check wing, clarified that the statue is not of Maha Vishnu. Terming it as false propaganda, the government stated that it is an incomplete statue of Lord Shani. Due to a flaw in its creation, a sculptor named Pattu Kannayya, who carved statues here in the past, left it there, and the statue has been lying there for the past 10 years.

It warned that posting or sharing such content on social media that hurts the sentiments of devotees will lead to legal action.

However, Karunakar Reddy stood his ground, saying those who lack basic understanding of the Vaikhanasa Agama Shastra are spreading lies against him instead of addressing the truth.

He revealed that when he exposed the sacrilege at Alipiri, he was threatened with false criminal cases in an attempt to silence him. 'Attempts to mislead devotees by claiming the idol was that of Shani are completely baseless,' he said, pointing out that an idol adorned with Shankha and Chakra can only represent Sri Maha Vishnu, whereas Shani is always depicted with a bow and arrow.

He dismissed the explanation that the idol was a discarded sculpture of an artisan as irresponsible and insulting to the faith. The reality, he asserted, is beyond doubt'this is Sri Maha Vishnu's idol.

/IANS