A temple in memory of a realtor’s mother coming up in Srikakulam village

SRIKAKULAM: Sanapala Sravan Kumar of Cheemala Valasa village in Amadalavalasa mandal has started constructing a grand temple using Krishna Shila, the stone used for constructing famous temples like Yadadri, for his beloved mother, who passed away several years ago.

He says for him and for that matter for any person in the world, the mother is the first guru and god. Without a mother, there is no existence, hence he has decided to construct the temple for his mother and worship her.

Sravan went to Hyderabad in search of livelihood in 2004 and settled there as a realtor. Four years later, he lost his mother Anasuya Devi, aged 47, while she was undergoing treatment for gallbladder stones. For the last 10 years, he has been undertaking social service activities in her memory, which include conduct of medical camps and job melas. After deciding to construct a temple in her memory, he approached Sthapathi Balagam Chiranjeevi, one of the master sculptor worked for Yadadri temple, urging him to take up the project without any success.

When he approached a contractor, the latter refused as he felt that a temple should only be constructed for gods and not for mortals. Without losing heart, he has finally decided to take up construction of the temple on his own.

After much research, he has found a technique called ‘Raati Bandhanam’ used to joint pieces of Krishna Shila, to build big structures in ancient times instead of using cement to build the temple, which lasts long.Later, he has drawn a plan to construct the temple with five gopurams with a height of 51 feet.

It has been proposed to install a 6-foot single stone statue of his mother Anasuya Devi in the temple. He has hired some sculptors from Tamil Nadu to sculpt his mother’s statue and five Gopurams. A few sculptors from Odisha have also been hired to sculpt several traditional sculptures on Gopurams. He launched the temple construction in February 2018.

The temple named Amma Devasthanam, is being constructed at an estimated cost of several crores in 2,400 sq yards of land located in the middle of the village.  Speaking to TNIE, Sravan said, “Five famous temples, including Yadadri, have been constructed using Krishna Sila and the ancient technique of ‘Raati Bandhanam’. We are using special material formulated with natural ingredients instead of cement to construct the temple, which is long lasting. As of now 50% of the temple works have been completed and the temple will be completed in another two years,” he said.For this realtor, his mother is Brahma, the Creator, and constructing a unique temple is his way of expressing love and respect for her.