1 week ago
Srisailam Choultries Face Complaints Over Costs and Poor Maintenance
Many people visit the temple in Srisailam and need places to stay.
They say some choultries charge a lot of money for rooms that are not clean or comfortable.
Middlemen are also accused of influencing who gets rooms.
Rules reportedly say rooms should not be given for more than three days, but devotees say this rule is often broken.
There are about 65 choultries in the town.
These choultries were built by community groups on land leased by temple authorities.
One recent tragedy involving five family members brought attention to the accommodation system.
Some devotees want the temple to take complete control of the rooms, as they say happens at Tirumala.
Officials are also reportedly receiving applications to build more choultries.
Devotees visiting the Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple reportedly struggle to find affordable, well-maintained accommodation.
Middlemen allegedly offer rooms at high prices, while devotees complain about shabby facilities and poor maintenance.
The issue gained attention after five members of a family died by suicide at the Vaddera choultry.
About 65 choultries operate in Srisailam, many built by community associations on temple-leased land since 1984.
Devotees want the temple administration to directly manage accommodation, while applications for about 50 new choultries are reportedly pending.
- Who
- Devotees visiting the Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple, community organisations running choultries, and Srisailam temple authorities.
- What
- Devotees are complaining about expensive, poorly maintained accommodation and alleged rule violations at private choultries.
- Where
- Srisailam, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.
- When
- The report refers to a recent suicide incident and cites a devotee’s visit on August 18; it does not specify the year.
- Why
- Devotees say commercial interests, middlemen, and weak oversight have displaced the original goal of providing affordable pilgrim accommodation.
Devotee concerns and temple control
Existing community-run accommodation model
Who should manage rooms?
Devotee concerns and temple control
Devotees want the Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Devasthanam to take complete control of accommodation and manage it directly, citing the system at Tirumala.
Existing community-run accommodation model
Community organisations currently run many choultries built on land leased from temple authorities; the report does not include a direct response from their managements.
Commercialisation and pricing
Devotee concerns and temple control
Devotees allege that middlemen influence allotments and that they are charged high amounts for rooms with poor facilities.
Existing community-run accommodation model
The current system continues to offer accommodation through community-run choultries, while applications for additional choultries are reportedly being considered; no management justification for the pricing is provided.
New choultry applications
Devotee concerns and temple control
A temple official alleges that political pressure is being used to clear applications because choultries have become a source of income.
Existing community-run accommodation model
Around 50 applications have reportedly been submitted by community organisations seeking land for new choultries, with deposits of about ₹50 lakh each.
Key facts
- Choultries in Srisailam
- Around 65
- Land-allotment policy began
- 1984
- Reported room-stay rule
- Rooms should not be allotted for more than three days
- Example room charge
- ₹1,200 for a reportedly poorly maintained room
- Applications for new choultries
- Around 50
- Reported deposit per applicant
- About ₹50 lakh
- Proposed land allotment
- About 10–20 cents per approved organisation
- Recent tragedy
- Five members of a family died by suicide at the Vaddera choultry
Quotes
N. Sivanageswara Rao
A devotee who visited Srisailam on August 18
“At Tirumala, accommodation is managed by the TTD authorities. At Srisailam, devotees are forced to pay whatever the choultry management demands. The Srisailam devasthanam should take complete control of the accommodation facilities.”
deccanchronicle.com
“The room had no basic facilities. Devotees are being forced to pay high amounts for poorly maintained rooms.”
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
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