‘Nobody Is Responsible, It Was an Act of God’: 95-Year-Old Temple Owner Breaks Silence After Andhra Stampede

A day after at least 10 people lost their lives in a tragic stampede at the Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Andhra Pradesh, 95-year-old Harimukund Panda, the man who built the temple , expressed shock over the massive turnout of devotees. Panda said he never anticipated such a large crowd at the temple, which had never seen such footfall before. Preliminary reports suggest that a sudden crowd surge during Ekadashi led to the stampede, with Andhra Pradesh minister Nara Lokesh citing “an unknown amount of rush” and “a lot of suffocation” as the cause of the tragedy.

According to Lokesh, the temple had separate entry and exit gates, but the unexpected rush prompted the closure of the entry point. Devotees, unaware of the change, tried to exit through the same route, leading to chaos and suffocation among the crowd.

Describing the incident as an “act of god”, Panda said he had no role in the tragedy. “Nobody is responsible, it was an act of god,” he told The Times of India. A case has, however, been registered against him as part of the ongoing investigation into the stampede.

Recounting the moments before the tragedy, Panda said that every day around 3,000 to 4,000 devotees visit the temple peacefully. “Every day, devotees come. They have darshan and leave. I thought it would be the same today. Suddenly, a huge crowd came. They pushed the gates and left,” he said, as quoted by Telugu media.

Panda added that the police and temple authorities were unaware that such a massive crowd would gather on Ekadashi. “The police didn't tell them, no one told them. People came all at once,” he said.

Reports state that Panda, who hails from a royal family in Odisha, constructed the temple four years ago at a cost of Rs 10 crore after a difficult experience at Tirumala Srivari Temple, where he witnessed pushing and shoving among devotees. The temple, built on 12 acres of his 50-acre land, was intended to provide a peaceful place for worship, a vision now overshadowed by the tragic incident.

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