Andhra Pradesh's Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy has released a two-year progress report for his department, detailing renovation work across thousands of temples and a push to recover encroached temple lands across the state.
According to the report, the department has spent more than Rs 813 crore renovating over 6,000 temples since the government took charge, ranging from major shrines to smaller community temples that had fallen into disrepair. The minister said the funding covered structural repairs, restoration of temple tanks, and improvements to facilities for devotees.
The report also highlighted support for more than 1,200 bhajan mandirs across the state, which received grants for upkeep and basic infrastructure. Officials said these smaller devotional centres, often run by local communities, had previously received little institutional support.
A significant part of the report focused on resolving disputes over temple-owned land, much of it encroached upon over decades. The Endowments Department said it has worked to identify and reclaim these parcels, though officials acknowledged that litigation and local resistance continue to slow recovery in several districts.
The minister also pointed to an expansion of the annaprasadam scheme, which provides free meals to devotees at temples, as part of the department's broader welfare push. Officials said the scheme has been extended to cover more temples and serve larger numbers of visitors during festivals and peak pilgrimage periods.
The progress report comes as the state government continues to position temple welfare and heritage preservation as a priority area, with officials indicating further allocations are planned for temple infrastructure in the coming year.
