Project aims at nurturing home-grown ‘Temple trees’
TIRUMALA, DECEMBER 14, 2025: The world-renowned sacred hill shrine of Sri Venkateswara Swamy managed by the Hindu religious organization of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is poised to launch a first-of-its-kind sacred and ecological initiative, the Divine Plantation Project in a 100-acre area, said TTD Trust Board Chairman Sri BR Naidu.
In a press statement released on Saturday evening, the TTD Board Chief stated that this unique project is aimed at nurturing home-grown ‘Temple Tree’ plantations to produce the Dwajasthambham—the holy flag mast that occupies a central and indispensable place in every ancient and Agama-compliant Hindu temple.
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This sacred initiative stands fully aligned with the vision and future-ready goals envisaged for TTD under the leadership of the Honourable Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Sri Nara Chandrababu Naidu and reflects TTD’s enduring commitment to preserving ancient traditions through responsible and forward-looking stewardship.
Significance of Dhwajastambham:
The Dwajasthambham is far more than an architectural element. It is a spiritual beacon, symbolizing the eternal connection between the earthly realm and the divine. Standing majestically within the temple precincts, it represents unwavering faith, sanctity, and divine presence.
As laid down in the Agama Shastras, the Dwajasthambham is traditionally crafted from a single, uninterrupted, long and straight bole of a carefully chosen and ritually sanctified sacred tree, selected strictly through prescribed spiritual, astrological, and ritualistic procedures.
In accordance with Agamic traditions and long-established temple practices, the sacred timber used for Dwajasthambhams includes Teak (Tectona grandis), Egisa / Indian Kino (Pterocarpus marsupium), suitable Terminalia and Shorea species—all valued for their strength, durability, straight growth habit, and longevity.
The selected tree, nurtured over several decades to attain the requisite maturity, is consecrated through prescribed rites before being felled.
Once shaped in accordance with Agamic proportions, the wooden flag mast is traditionally encased in metal sheathing—most commonly brass or copper—and in highly revered temples such as the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple at Tirumala, is further adorned with gold-plated coverings.
Installed in the sacred axis between the Raja Gopuram and the Vimanam above the sanctum sanctorum, the Dwajasthambham bears the GARUDA flag depicting the celestial vehicle of the presiding deity. The hoisting of this flag solemnly heralds the commencement of major annual festival of the Navahnika Brahmotsavams, symbolically invoking divine blessings upon all realms.
Recognizing the profound sanctity associated with the Dwajasthambham, and in keeping with its sacred responsibility of administering over sixty Hindu temples across the country, besides establishing new temples of Sri Venkateswara Swamy in various States and Union Territories strictly in accordance with Agama traditions, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams has embarked upon an ambitious and visionary “Temple Trees” Plantation Project.
This initiative seeks to organically and reverentially cultivate Agama-approved sacred tree species within TTD-managed lands, ensuring that the divine timber required for Dwajasthambhams is entirely home-grown, spiritually sanctified, and sustainably sourced.
The project is envisioned to serve a dual sacred purpose—
(i) to facilitate the ritual replacement of existing Dwajasthambhams at temples where the inner wooden core undergoes natural ageing over extended periods, and
(ii) to meet the future sacred timber requirements for Dwajasthambhams in temples proposed to be established by TTD in the years to come.
Divine plantation project:
As part of this pioneering initiative, the TTD Trust Board proposes to allocate an extent of about 100 acres of land for the establishment of this divine plantation.
With this, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams will take pride in becoming the first temple institution in the country to systematically cultivate its own sacred trees exclusively for Dwajasthambham construction—thereby ensuring continuity of Agamic purity, spiritual integrity, ecological responsibility, and institutional self-reliance for generations
