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ANDHRA JAIN TEMPLE OPENS FOR PILGRIMS AFTER 20 YEARS
Hyderabad : The 2,500-year-old Sri Shwetambar Jain Tirth temple was reopened for pilgrims after 20 long years of renovation work. The temple at Kolanpak in Andhra Pradesh's Nalgonda district was opened Sunday after a day-long special puja, called "pran-pratishta" of a four-faced idol of Jain deities "Chaumukha", which was performed by Acharya Rajesh Surishwar. Hundreds of devotees from various parts of the country and abroad, besides Home Minister K. Jana Reddy and local public representatives participated in the event. About 150 Jains from  United States also took part in the puja at the temple, which is considered as one of the top 10 Jain pilgrimage centres . The temple authorities said over 1,000 workers, artisans and stone cutters worked for two decades to complete the renovation work at a cost of Rs. 110 million. Jain philanthropists and members of the community in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat donated the amount. Out of the total 20 acre land, the temples stood on one acre. The remaining land houses a dharamshala, guest houses with about 160 rooms, a museum and a library for visitors.