Sadhu Subrahmanya Sastry Glorified Sri Venkateswara Swamy Varu Through Inscriptions : RenownedEpgraphist Sorakayala Krishna Reddy

Tirupati-based eminent epigraphist Sri Sorakayala Krishna Reddy stated that Sri Sadhu Subrahmanya Shastri was a great scholar who translated the inscriptions of Tirumala along with Annamacharya’s Sankirtanas, thereby spreading the glory of Sri Venkateswara Swamy across the world.

The 44th death anniversary of Sri Sadhu Subrahmanya Shastri was observed grandly at the Annamacharya Kalamanidram in Tirupati on Wednesday.

Delivering a lecture on “Research Endeavours of Sri Sadhu Subrahmanya Shastri”, Sri Krishna Reddy said that Shastry, while serving as the Peishkar of the Tirumala temple, collected and translated 1,167 copper plate inscriptions. 

He further brought out several copper plates containing Annamacharya compositions from the treasury, thus making them accessible to society. 

Not merely as a temple employee, but also as a pioneering researcher of ancient inscriptions, Shastry was the first to bring to light the grandeur of Sri Venkateswara. 

Later, Prof. Dr. Sirisha from the Department of Sanskrit, SV University, delivered a lecture on “Sri Krishna Devaraya in the Research of Sri Sadhu Subrahmanya Shastry”.

She said that Sri Krishna Devaraya, who ruled the Vijayanagara Empire from 1509 to 1529, was a great devotee of Sri Venkateswara. During his reign, the empire reached its peak of prosperity. Shastry, through temple inscriptions, brought to light how Sri Krishna Devaraya had donated invaluable ornaments to  Venkateswara Swamy. She appealed to children as well as elders to read the books published from the inscriptions deciphered by Shastry.

Earlier in the day, on the occasion of the 44th death anniversary of Sri Sadhu Subrahmanya Shastry, Dr Medasani Mohan, Special Officer of Annamacharya Project, offered floral tributes to the statue of Shastry near SVETA Bhavan in Tirupati.

Subsequently, floral tributes were also offered to the statue of the eminent scholar Sri Gauripeddi Ramasubba Sharma on his 103rd birth anniversary at SV Oriental College.