India’s Tirumala temple, world’s richest Hindu shrine, orders probe into drone video
Instagram user from Hyderabad takes down video; anyone using drones face criminal case
Tirupati: Tirumala temple authorities have ordered a probe into a drone video of the temple making the rounds on social media platforms.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which manages the affairs of Sri Venkateswara temple atop Tirumala, in Aidhra Pradesh has taken note of the video posted by a person from Hyderabad.
TTD Chairman Y. S. Subba Reddy on Saturday said a criminal case would be booked if anyone was found involved in using drones to shoot the video.
The TTD officials have virtually ruled out the possibility of the drone camera being used. They believe that the video may have been shot using still photography. There is also the possibility of the video being obtained from Google.
“A Video of Tirumala temple which is making rounds on social media platforms as taken through a Drone camera is baseless. However, it will be sent to the forensic lab for verification,” said TTD Chief Vigilance and Security Officer (CVSO) Narasimha Kishore.
He said the entire Tirumala is under the eagle eye of hi-fi vigilance and security and it is not possible to capture the video through a drone camera.
The CVSO also warned of legal procedures against the persons who videographed Tirumala temple if proved guilty.
As per Agama Shastra rules, flying of aircraft or drones over the hill shrine is prohibited.
The video in question was said to have been uploaded by a man from Hyderabad in November last year on his Instagram account. However, it went viral over the last couple of days, forcing the TTD authorities to take note of the same and react. Following the development, the Instagram user has taken down the video.
Sri Venkateswara temple is also known by other names like Tirumala Temple, Tirupati Temple and Tirupati Balaji Temple.
The temple, world’s richest Hindu Shrine, in November last year reported an astonishing set of wealth consisting of 10.3 tonnes of gold deposits in nationalised banks and a cash deposit of Rs15,938 crores ($1.94 billion). The total worth of temple assets has been pegged at Rs2.26 lakh crore ($27.56 billion).