Vijayawada, Dec 26: Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) would conduct one lakh marriages every year, beginning from February 22, its chairman B Karunakar Reddy said today.

At a press meet here, he said the weddings was a first step towards the mass marriage programme, which would be conducted in all the kalyanamandapams, famed local temples and private venues.

To start with 50,000 marriages would be performed at the auspicious time of 1150 hrs on that day and an equal number of weddings would be organised after a six months gap. For conducting the 1,00,000 marriages, the TTD would incur an expendture of nearly Rs 50 crore, he informed.

Mr Reddy said conducting of such marriages was aimed at bringing the Hindu tradition within reach of Dalits and people living below poverty line, who can not afford lavish weddings.

As part of the programme, the TTD would provide the bride with gold 'thali bottu' weighing one gram each, a pair of 'mattelu,' wedding clothes to the couples and food for 20 people from both sides.

The marriages would be conducted by priests amid chanting of 'veda mantras,' he said adding that the response from the people for the wedding programme was good.


UNI