Soon, a Lord Balaji temple in Chennai

Construction of a Rs 100 crore Lord Balaji temple in Chennai, similar to the Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala near Tirupati, is likely to commence in 2006.

The Tamil Nadu government's response to the request by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, which administers the famous hill shrine, for a five acre plot in the city had been 'very good', K Anandkumar Reddy, President of the Local Advisory Committee of the TTD Information Centre in Chennai, said on Thursday.

The land identification process was on. "We were shown four or five places in the city. But our Agama and Vaasthu experts have not approved these. However, the land will soon be identified and construction work is likely to commence in 2006", he said.

He added that once approved, the TTD will spend up to Rs 100 crore for the construction of the temple.

"The TTD board is keen to have a Balaji temple in Chennai as nearly two-thirds of devotees who come for darshan at Tirumala, are from Tamil Nadu," he said.