A tragic stampede at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Kasibugga, Andhra Pradesh, has drawn attention to the man behind its creation — 94-year-old landlord Hari Mukunda Panda. Known as a passionate devotee of Lord Venkateswara, Panda built this temple out of personal devotion and a painful past experience.
Fifteen years ago, Panda had travelled to Tirumala for darshan but fell ill while waiting in a long queue. Security officials asked him to step aside and get medical attention, and though he got another chance the next day, the few seconds of darshan after hours of waiting left him disheartened. That moment, he decided that if people couldn’t reach Tirupati, he would bring Tirupati to them.
Using his own wealth, Panda sold part of his coconut farmland and began constructing a temple inspired by the Tirumala shrine. Built across 12 acres, the temple stands as a near replica of the Tirupati temple, complete with a nine-foot-tall idol carved from a single stone. No public donations were taken, everything came from Panda’s family funds. The land was even registered in the name of Lord Venkateswara before construction began.
When the temple opened four months ago, Panda said that those unable to visit Tirupati could now have darshan here with the same devotion. Since then, the temple has drawn thousands of devotees every day, particularly on weekends and festivals.
However, what began as a spiritual offering ended in heartbreak. On a busy festival day, a massive rush of devotees led to a stampede, killing seven women and two children. The incident shocked the state, with officials calling it a tragic accident.
Speaking after the tragedy, Panda expressed deep sorrow. He said that in all the months since the temple’s opening, there had never been a single problem. “We never imagined such a disaster,” he reportedly told police officials.
Today, this elderly devotee, who once built a temple so that no one would feel the disappointment he once felt, faces legal charges over an accident he never intended. The Kasibugga temple, meant to bring Tirupati closer to people’s hearts, now stands as both a symbol of devotion and tragedy.