City's second Balaji temple in Charkop opens to devotees

Devotees throng Balaji temple at Charkop. The temple was built at a cost of Rs90 lakh

For Lord Venkateshwara devotees, Sunday was a big day. The city saw his second temple at Charkhop in Kandvli being thrown open to public in the midst of shehnai and drum beats. The only other temple of Lord Balaji in the city is at Phanaswadi in Charni Road.
Thousands of devotees visited the shrine to get a glimpse of the Lord, whose idol is identical to the one at Tirupati. "I came with my family to take his blessings. It is a nice thing they have done," said Rupesh Bubna, a 25-year-old resident of Borivili.
The temple was constructed at a cost of Rs 90 lakh. Shree Balaji Foundation chairman Gurunath Mandala, who constructed the temple, said: "I met with an accident. My intestine was out. I prayed to God that if I recover soon, I will build a temple," said Mandala.
The idol that weighs 1.5 tonne and is 5.5 feet tall is of one piece black stone-Shilla found only in seven hills of Tirupati.