Two US-based NRIs donate Rs 14 crore to Lord Balaji temple in Andhra Pradesh

Tirupati: Two US-based NRI entrepreneurs have made a princely donation of Rs 14 crore to the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara at nearby Tiruamala in Andhra Pradesh on Friday, a temple official said.

The devotees, who are friends and wished to remain anonymous, made the offering on the auspicious day of Goddess Sri Varalakshmi Vratham festival, the official said.

After offering prayers with their family members at the cash-rich hill shrine, they handed over a demand draft for Rs 14 crore to A V Dharma Reddy, the Special Officer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), that governs the over 2,000-year-old temple, the temple official said.

The devotees requested the temple officials to use the funds for different TTD-run public welfare trusts.

This is the second straight year the two have made a similar offering.

In July last year, they had donated Rs 13.5 crore to the shrine with a request to use it for different TTD trusts, the official added.