tirumaDollar SeshadriPala Seshadri, popularly known as Dollar Seshadri, who had emerged as the face of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) as the senior priest and Officer on Special Duty (OSD) of the temple, died of cardiac arrest aged 74 on Monday morning.
‘Dollar’ Seshadri had attended the Karthika Deepotsavam function in Visakhapatnam on Sunday night. He had also participated in Pavalimpu Seva of Lord Venkateswara at TTD Kalyanamandapam. He had stayed back at the mandapam after speaking to TTD employees at night.
He reportedly suffered cardiac arrest at 4am and died while being taken to Apollo Hospital. His body has been kept in King George Hospital (KGH), Visakhapatnam and arrangements are being to take his mortal remains to Tirupati. ‘Dollar’ Seshadri’s final rites will be held in Govindadham in Tirupati on Tuesday.
Seshadri has been serving at the famous hill shrine since 1978. Though he attained superannuation on July 31, 2006, successive governments had extended his term as Officer on Special Duty. Well-versed with the history of the Tirupati temple and all the rituals, Seshadri was the most prominent figure in TTD, which manages the affairs of the world’s richest Hindu temple.
‘Dollar’ Seshadri was the guide for prime ministers PV Narasimha Rao, AB Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh, Narendra Modi, and chief ministers and governors of several states during their visit to the temple. The super priest was called ‘Dollar’ Seshadri after the dollar on a chain around his neck.
Seshadri had been in the eye of the storm ever since the scandal about the loss of 310 gold coins called ‘dollars’ from the temple treasury was reported in 2007. The dollars went missing in 2005 when Seshadri was in-charge. He was suspended in August 2008 after a vigilance inquiry indicted him and two deputy executive officers. However, after Seshadri wrote to TTD claiming to be innocent and even served a legal notice, TTD reinstated him.
After Seshadri was given another extension in 2010, Congress leader Magunti Gopal Reddy Achallenged the same in Andhra Pradesh High Court through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). The petitioner alleged he was shown undue favours by the TTD despite his name cropping up in several scandals involving the jewels and ornaments of the temple. He even urged the court to conduct narco-analysis, brain mapping and lie detector tests on Seshadri.
In 2011, Andhra Pradesh High Court had dismissed extension of ‘Dollar’ Seshadri’s services. The super priest, however, approached the Supreme Court, which ruled in his favour on the ground that a PIL cannot be filed on service-related issues. Since then, Seshadri had been getting extensions as OSD. This is said to be a record in the history of TTD.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed shock and grief over the passing away of Seshadri. The CM conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family members of Seshadri, who were with TTD since 1978.
Former CM and Telugu Desam Party leader Chandrababu Naidu, TTD chairman YV Subba Reddy, former chief secretary LV Subramanyam also expressed condolence at the death of ‘Dollar’ Seshadri.
“It is an irreparable loss to the TTD. Dollar Seshadri Swamy had been rendering invaluable services to the Tirumala temple even after his retirement in 2007. I express my heartfelt condolences to his family. TTD is making all arrangements to shift his mortal remains to Tirupati where his final rites will be performed with appropriate honours,” reports quoted YV Subba Reddy as saying.
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