A billionaire’s divine mission - what did Ambani promise at Tirumala?

One of the wealthiest people in the world, Mukesh Ambani, the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, visited the Tirumala temple in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday to ask Lord Venkateswara Swamy for his blessings. Ambani, who is well-known for his devotion and regular trips to the shrine, is also one of the major donors to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the trust responsible for managing the temple.

Following prayers, Ambani revealed a significant donation to improve the temple's Anna Prasadam program, which feeds thousands of worshippers every day for free. In order to prepare meals for almost two lakh devotees daily, he announced that he would work with the TTD and the Andhra Pradesh government to build a modern, fully automated kitchen. Ambani promised that the entire cost of constructing this state of the art facility would be covered by him.

Expressing gratitude to the state government and TTD for the opportunity, Ambani called it an honor to serve Lord Venkateswara and contribute to a cause that ensures no devotee goes hungry. He also stated that the project aligns with Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s vision to expand the Anna Prasadam tradition to all TTD temples. Later, Ambani visited the Sri Krishna Guruvayur Temple in Thrissur, Kerala, where he donated ₹5 crore for temple development. The initiative supports the CM’s plan to use ₹2,000 crore from TTD’s Sri Venkateswara Temple Construction Trust to strengthen temple infrastructure and extend free meal services to over 60 temples across India.