Re: hindu temples

["Rayalaseema Informatics Centre" <ric@nettlinx.com>]

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Prakash wrote on October 25, 2000.

> The government does not interrupt the functioning of muslim or
> christian shrines, why only hindu shrines ? Why should the Andhra
> Governnment control the tirupati devasthanam ?

> Shouldn't all hindu temples be strictly under the control of the
> temple authorities and be declared so ? For, if they were controlled
> by the government, then we cannot have discrimination in them - can
> we ? How can a secular government handle temples ?
>

Tirupati accounts for more than 50 percent of tourism to Andhra Pradesh.
The
tourist arrivals to Tirupati is presently around 40 millions a year with
an
annual increase of around 10 percent.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is headed by an IAS officer
growth rate of
Andhra Pradesh Tourism is well established in Andhra Pradesh. The State
already accounts for 24
per cent of domestic tourist arrivals in India (inter versus
intrastate). In
1996,
domestic tourist arrivals in Andhra Pradesh amounted to 33.4 million and

have
grown at an annual rate of 10 per cent since 1990. The most popular
destination
was Tirupati, which cornered a 50 per cent share of these arrivals. In
1996,
over
60,000 foreign tourists visited Andhra Pradesh, constituting growth of 8
per
cent a
year since 1990. However, the State accounts for only 3 per cent of
India's
foreign
tourists. The most popular destination for foreign tourists was
Hyderabad
followed
by Puttaparthi.
But Andhra Pradesh could do much more with its tourism destinations.
Existing
tourist attractions are largely underdeveloped. For example, in
Tirupati,
the aver-age
tourist stay is only 2.5 nights and the average expenditure on
accommodation
is only Rs.146 per tourist. In a survey of 1400 visitors, nearly 75 per
cent
indicated
that they would stay longer if there was more for them to see or do.
Andhra Pradesh
offers numerous
and distinctive
opportunities for
attracting
domestic and
international
tourists.






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