Reddy to splurge for God

After a Rs 45-crore, diamond-studded gold crown for Lord Balaji, the Bellary brothers are now planning a gold mandapam costing over Rs 4 crore

After a Rs 45-crore, diamond-studded gold crown for Lord Balaji, the Bellary brothers are now planning a gold mandapam costing over Rs 4 crore

Bellary's mining magnates, the Reddy brothers, are planning another expensive gift for Lord Balaji u2014 a gold mandapam costing over Rs 4 crore.

Karnataka tourism minister Janardhan Reddy had earlier crowned Lord Balaji at Tirupati with a Rs 45-crore, 32-kg diamond-studded gold crown the priciest offering by an individual so far.

Crowing glory: Janardhan and Sriramulu Reddy carrying the diamond-studded crown towards the temple of Lord Balaji

It has 890 carat emeralds and thousands of diamonds.

"The Bellary brothers are looking for a mandapam to be made of gold," said a source close to Manjunath Chitrakar, whose family is said to have been chosen for the job.

"The Chitrakar brothers, who worked on a silver mandapam for the Reddy family, have been consulted again. But it is not yet known which temple they'll be offering it to."

The Reddy brothers provided 25 kg silver to the Chitrakar family a month ago for a silver mandapam costing over Rs 6 lakh.

City bags order

Unlike the diamond crown that was designed in Coimbatore, the mandapam is being created by Bangalore-based experts.

Manjunath Chitrakar confirmed this. "We have done a mandapam for them. We were asked to do it by a jeweller in Bellary after they approved the design," he told MiD DAY but preferred not to divulge details of the jeweller or even details of the work.

"They have asked if we can do it and we have said yes. That's all I can say now," Manjunath added.

No comments

One of Reddy brothers, G Somashekar Reddy, did not want to comment when contacted.

"Today, my brother Karunakara Reddy is offering a golden kawacha (armour) at Shri Kalahasti temple. The offering is made based on planetary motions of his horoscope as he has been advised to perform Rahu and Ketu (planets) shanthi. This is all that I can share about offerings by our family," he said.

Who are the Chitrakars?
The Chitrakar family has five brothers running their business out of Peenya and is well known for its 30-year expertise in making gold and silver idols and silver ther (chariot used during religious processions to carry deities).

Their works include a 21-foot, 650-kg silver chariot for Lakshmi Narasimhaswamy Temple in Malleshwaram, a 350-kg silver chariot to Yerri Tatayyana Mutt in Challaburki, a 250-kg chariot for Channa Mallikarjuna Temple in Gangavathi, a 120-kg chariot for Raghavendraswamy Mutt in Prakashnagar and a 350-kg silver chariot for Subramanyeshwara temple in Ulsoor, which is in progress.