ANANTAPUR, ANDHRA PRADESH (ENS) — Governor ND Tiwari inaugurated the grand temple of Sri Radha Partasarathi temple, built by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) on Sunday. The grand-looking temple was built at Somaladoddi village on NH 7 at a cost of Rs 5 crore. The Governor installed the idols in the temple and conducted pujas. Describing the temple as a boon to the people here, Tiwari hoped it would inculcate bhakti tatvam among people. He lauded the services of ISKCON which were propagating harmony and brotherhood and spirituality.

Recounting his own experience of Krishna consciousness, the Governor said during his tours abroad he witnessed millions of people following Krishna’s teachings. “Krishna tatvam pervaded the boundaries of religion, races and nations. It influenced the famous Urdu poet, Sahir Ludhianvi, who wrote a poem on Krishna.” He also recalled the recitation of the Bhagavadgita by Mahatma Gandhi everyday and at the Krishna Ashram in Ahmedabad.

Minister for Agriculture N. Raghuveera Reddy, lauding the public services of ISKCON, said the organisation was supplying nutritious food to students of government schools in about 200 villages in and around Tirupati, and agreed to extend the services to Anantapur district.

Zilla parishad chairperson T. Kavita, Parliament members A. Venkatarami Reddy and Col. Nizamuddin, legislator B. Narayana Reddy, district collector N. Sridhar, deputy inspector-general of police N. Jayarami Reddy, DCC president Patil Venugopal Reddy, ISKCON chairman Sri Tridandi Jayapataka Swamy, ISKCON temple committee president Satya Gopalnath Das, Bhanu Swamy from Japan, and others attended.