Kasibugga (Srikakulam)

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Temple

As of 2025

Nov 5, 2025: The Times of India

How a 94-yr-old man’s mini-Tirupati shrine turned into a site of death

Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple at Kasibugga in Srikakulam: a temple born of one man’s devotion , built by 94-year-old Hari Mukund Panda, reports Umamaheswara Rao, The Times of India’'.

Panda, originally from Odisha, had dreamed of building the shrine after an “unsatisfactory” darshan at Tirupati a decade ago. His mother Hari Vishnupriya had urged him to build a temple of their own. That suggestion became a mission. On 12 acres of family land, Panda created a near-replica of Tirumala — complete with rituals, architecture, and traditions — to bring Lord Venkateswara closer to devotees of north coastal Andhra and southern Odisha.

The temple, locally known as ‘chinna-Tirupati’ (mini-Tirupati), opened four months ago. It was built entirely with Panda’s own funds — no donations, no trustees. The 9ft single-stone idol of Lord Venkateswara was carved in Tirupati and dominates the sanctum.

Hundreds of other divine idols dot the complex, blending Odisha’s sculptural style with south Indian temple design.
But on the temple’s first major festival — Karthika Ekadasi — devotion overwhelmed design. The Ekadasi tithi began at 9.10am, and within minutes, volunteers were overrun.


Beyond the temple, Panda is known for quiet philanthropy — feeding hundreds of poor and differently abled people weekly, funding pensions and arranging transport from Palasa railway station to his orchard for Monday meals. Panda said, “I built this temple to offer devotees peaceful and free darshan of Lord Venkateswara.”