Naidu wants to build 5,000 Venkateswara temples in Andhra; Mauritius and New Zealand want their way, he says.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday (September 16, 2026) proposed building temples dedicated to Lord Venkateswara in cities across the world with significant Hindu populations, saying the spiritual and cultural heritage of Tirumala needs to be passed on to future generations. According to him, the government has already received requests for the construction of such temples from countries such as Mauritius and New Zealand.

Reviewing the functioning and development plans of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) along with its chairman and office-bearers and Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, he said the government was working to develop temples into centers of spirituality. He proposed to build 5,000 Venkateswara temples across the state under TTD’s ‘Srivani’ scheme. Old temples will also be renovated and Srivari Sevaks will join this initiative. More than 12,000 people have registered as sevaks in the state so far, he said.

Mr. Naidu said hospitals affiliated to TTD, including Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS), Balaji Institute of Surgery, Research and Rehabilitation of the Disabled (BIRRD), Ruia Hospital and Children’s Hospital will be merged to provide comprehensive health care. Doctors will be asked to serve as Srivari Sevaks in accordance with the principle of “service to humanity is service to God.”

The TTD education system will also be restructured to equip students with skills and improve job prospects.

The Chief Minister said that TTD has ₹3,165 crore in Annadanam Trust, ₹191 crore in Pranadanam Trust and ₹240 crore in BIRRD Trust and that steps will be taken to strengthen nutrition and health services.

He said the development of Tirumala would be carried out through six schemes including Vruksha Govindam, conservation of water falling from seven hills and groundwater recharge measures. Tirumala and Tirupati will be developed on a net-zero model using solar and wind energy, battery storage, rooftop solar panels and zero-waste practices.

He said Tirumala, whose temple tradition dates back about 2,300 years, should become a global model for cleanliness, environmental protection and pilgrimage management.

On the infrastructure front, Mr. Naidu said that with the Centre’s assistance, a walkway was proposed to be built connecting Tirupati Railway Station and a bus stand and a multi-storey parking facility was also planned to be built on 50 acres in Tirupati. The government will spend ₹230 crore to provide residential plots to 5,192 employees, while ₹90 crore will be spent on the judicial complex.

Mr. Naidu said Tirupati will soon emerge as a major economic and service hub and will also become a wedding destination.

Recalling the severe drought of November 1999, Mr. Naidu said that in less than 100 days, a pipeline was laid from the Kalyani reservoir to provide drinking water to Tirumala. Water will also be supplied to Tirupati from Somasila, Kandaleru and Balaji Sagar and then diverted to Tirumala to continuously meet the drinking water needs of the pilgrim town.