PUNE, INDIA, January 31, 2002: The famous Tirupati temple in Andra Pradesh now has a replica near the city of Pune. Pilgrims unable to make it to Tirupati to worship Lord Balaji have built the 7,000-square-foot temple in a 19,000 square foot plot on a site near Pashan Lake. Nestled among green hills, the temple formally installed its Deity on February 4, 2002. Costing over US$320,000, the temple was built by architects Ramkrishna Stapathi and his son Meenakshi Sthapati. Honoring a total of 30 deities, the project was funded in part (50%) by devotees from the city of Pune. Also expected to attract Vedic scholars and students, the complex will expand in the future to include a lecture hall, study room and an ashram for religion classes.
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